[ExI] The internet bot problem

[Stuart LaForge]

On 2024-11-30 07:27, BillK via extropy-chat wrote:
> Can humans purge the bots without sacrificing our privacy?
> "Personhood" credentials could cleanse the internet of bots — but are
> the costs worth it?
> By Ross Pomeroy     November 30, 2024
> 
> <https://www.freethink.com/the-digital-frontier/personhood-credentials>
> Quotes:
> According to the 2024 Imperva Bad Bot Report, the proportion of
> internet traffic generated by bots hit almost 50% this year, growing
> 2% from the year prior. It’s hard to get a handle on the share of
> essentially fake websites, social media accounts, comments, reviews,
> and emails being churned out by bots, but it is surely vast.
> 
> Personhood credentials to the rescue?
> “To get a personhood credential, you are going to have to show up in
> person or have a relationship with the government, like a tax ID
> number,” Tobin South, a graduate student in MIT’s Media Lab and one of
> the report’s authors, told MIT News.
> While a PHC proves your humanity, it would not be identification —
> users would maintain anonymity.
> But there are genuine risks and challenges.
> -------------------
> 
> Indeed, proving you are human will become increasingly difficult.
> Even video calls and chats can now be done by bots.

The Dead Internet Theory was considered a conspiracy theory back when it 
was first discussed in 2021.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Internet_theory

Is it still just a conspiracy theory?

Stuart LaForge