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0 pointsviraptor9mo ago0 comments

It means a lot - you need to check the other side's meta to confirm yourself. https://fedi.tips/how-do-i-verify-my-account/

0 comments

mjmas9mo ago

For example, at https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/ : (the rel=me is the important part)

    [...] <a rel="me" href="https://hachyderm.io/@simontatham"> [...]

nottorp9mo ago

And that's why the fediverse thing is so niche :)

Looks like it's as complicated as a parts inventory system developed in house for a half a million employee company...

viraptorOP9mo ago

There's a link on one side and a meta tag on the other. It's as simple as you can make the validation between two sites. It's not even fediverse-specific really - there were other services doing something similar before.

bentinata9mo ago

It's because freedom and correctness is hard. Yeah, most people prefer convenience and would rather someone be the source of authority to do it for them, but people on fediverse are not those kind of people.

closewith9mo ago

No, it really means nothing. Identity on the internet is not a solved problem.

pferde9mo ago

You are wrong.

It means that whoever owns the website marked as verified also owns the social account. See https://joinmastodon.org/verification for a quick overview of how it works.

closewith9mo ago

No, it means a certain link exists on the website. On Hacker News of all sites, I would think we should all know that's not sufficient evidence of identity for an update regarding the source of critical software like a terminal.

viraptorOP9mo ago

Nobody claimed it validates the identity in any way. It validates that the person at the other website confirms it's their social account and the social account matches the other direction. The real identity is not involved here in any way and never was. You're disagreeing with someone nobody here raises.

But the link validation confirms that if you believed that the original download site belongs to the author, then you would have almost the same guarantee about the social account. (+/- the chances of the putty website being hacked)

1 more reply

account429mo ago

If A is saying "I'm also B" an B is saying "I'm also A" then you for most purposes you can trust that A and B are the same person, no?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 comments

mjmas9mo ago

For example, at https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/ : (the rel=me is the important part)

    [...] <a rel="me" href="https://hachyderm.io/@simontatham"> [...]

nottorp9mo ago

And that's why the fediverse thing is so niche :)

Looks like it's as complicated as a parts inventory system developed in house for a half a million employee company...

viraptorOP9mo ago

bentinata9mo ago

closewith9mo ago

No, it really means nothing. Identity on the internet is not a solved problem.

pferde9mo ago

You are wrong.

It means that whoever owns the website marked as verified also owns the social account. See https://joinmastodon.org/verification for a quick overview of how it works.

closewith9mo ago

viraptorOP9mo ago

1 more reply

account429mo ago

If A is saying "I'm also B" an B is saying "I'm also A" then you for most purposes you can trust that A and B are the same person, no?

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse