Ask HN: Voluntary ID verification for better services. Would you use it?

1 pointsby kisamoto10개월 전1 comments

I've been thinking about the signal-to-noise problem in various online communities. So much of the moderation overhead and user frustration seems to stem from trolling, spam, and bad-faith actors operating behind a shield of complete anonymity.

This is purely a thought experiment, not a product pitch:

If certain services (e.g., marketplace, social-media, a niche forum for professionals, a comments section on a serious publication) offered a strictly voluntary, opt-in "verified" mode, would you use it?

In this scenario, you'd verify your identity once with a trusted third party, and this would grant you access to these higher-trust spaces. Your real name would not necessarily be public, but your account would be linked to a unique, real person.

The theoretical benefit would be a dramatic reduction in scams, spam, and trolling, leading to a higher quality of interaction. The obvious downside is the privacy trade-off.

Would you ever consider making that trade? If so, under what specific conditions?

1 comments

gus_massa10개월 전

Every time you sneeze, Facebook ask for a ID and photo and ID and photo and ID and photo ... until something happens and breaks the cycle.

> scams, spam, and trolling

The alternative is a loooot of moderation, but not overdo it.