[kwlug-disc] Firefox 106 "View" tab?

[Chris Frey]

On Wed, Oct 12, 2022 at 11:28:06PM -0400, Doug Moen wrote:
> So in this context, what's the deal with the Google/ Apple/ Microsoft
> plan to replace passwords on web sites with WebAuthN?  It looks like
> Google inserts itself as a middleman each time you log in to a web site
> (when using Android or Chrome). Plus, you have to use a phone to log
> in to a web site, even if you are using a laptop, and phones are very
> strongly tied to personal identity. I'd like to understand why this
> change is important to Google's business model, and what the privacy
> implications are.
> 
> I've noticed that Google has made it increasingly more difficult to
> use Google services without handing over your cellphone number. From
> Google's perspective, username password pairs are, in themselves,
> anonymous, not inherently tied to real world identity. Anonymity is bad
> for business. So today, for example, it is now impossible to create
> a gmail account without handing over your cell phone number (whereas
> that was still possible a few years ago). Cell phone numbers are tightly
> coupled to personal identity. So now I see that Google wants to get rid
> of username password pairs, and to force you to use a cell phone to log
> in to every web site. Hmm.

Preach brother!  That was a very eloquent email.

The trend to tie everything to a cell phone on the internet is a disease,
a plague on the internet, and I wish it would die.

The steps are small and incremental, but incessant, and most people don't
see where this is heading, or even believe they can and should fight back.

- Chris