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Ask HN: Would this eliminate bots for good?

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Ask HN: Would this eliminate bots for good?

#1
I had an idea to eliminate the bot problem, or at the very least make it significantly harder to operate one. Here is my plan.

A new web browser built on a new HTTP protocol that accepts a human identity glove using cryptography. Instead of using your fingers directly on a mouse or trackpad, you wear a hardware glove that continuously records your pulse and your fingerprint, your machine information, and the average movement map that is unique to you as you interact with your device. The glove encrypts all of this information in real time. The browser then constantly verifies the glove hardware is present and active. No physical glove with a valid identity? No page loads.

What if someone tries to emulate the glove?

This is where the new browser becomes the second line of defense. It continuously checks the hardware signature and serial number of the glove. You can attempt to emulate it all you want, but the probability of simultaneously spoofing the correct fingerprint, a continuous and believable human pulse, a personalized movement map, and the exact hardware serial number is as close to impossible as any security system can get.

What do you all think of this as a preliminary idea?

Re: Ask HN: Would this eliminate bots for good?

#4
All interesting ideas but to get traction make it part of a low latency haptic suit that people can use to sex each other up or show off their PVPness, make some prototypes for executives and investors to play with and I could see it getting attention. Maybe get a demo integrated with VRChat. On the more taboo end and to not discriminate make all sizes of suits for all body types and ages. Provide an SDK so that all gaming companies can incorporate your suit. That should give "Collision Detection" a whole new meaning and experience.

Re: Ask HN: Would this eliminate bots for good?

#5
One day the glove will have some connection problem and you won't be able to troubleshoot it because you can't use the internet.

This would always need some backup solution and now you're back on square one.

Edit: also you'd need accessibility, so a glove is out. And how do you handle game consoles? Voice assistants like Siri or Alexa?

Re: Ask HN: Would this eliminate bots for good?

#8
If Tesla optimus robots were breaking into my house at night, logging into my computer, and using my web browser, this would be one solution.

You didn't mention anything about how the web server knows if the other end of the connection is this user-hostile browser or a python/javascript bot with a spoofed user agent.

Re: Ask HN: Would this eliminate bots for good?

#10
This gets a hard NO from me.

Even aside from the hardware aspect of it, or the ick factor of biometrics to use the web, or possibly launching it and getting full adoption, or the fact that it absolutely could have the data spoofed, or that new attacks would be developed to MITM someone's pulse and mirror it on their bot's connection...

Where is this validation happening? Not on every transaction to every web server, surely. How could a HTTP protocol possibly actually achieve this kind of validation?

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