[ExI] The internet bot problem

[Adrian Tymes]

On Sun, Dec 1, 2024 at 5:38 PM Stuart LaForge via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

> 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?
>

Insofar as it imagines there is a single coordinated agency doing it, yes.
There are multiple agencies, some in explicit opposition to one another,
most simply uncoordinated and many unaware of the others.
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