Comment by icoder | Hacker News Reader

Comment by icoder | Hacker News Reader

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Like many others in this thread you stack so many assumptions on top of each other. Why? I don't think that helps.

Will this person's bank implement WEI in such a way that none of this person's devices (computer, phone) are supported and will this person not be willing or able to switch banks, only then buying a new computer comes into view. Without knowing anything about this person, assuming average, the chances for this must be low or the bank will have no happy customers left.

I fully agree with the underlying worries you and others in this thread have, but to extrapolate that without any nuance into a world where we all become privacy-less, ad consuming, eye tracked zombies on newly bought computers is not helping the case (in my view).

> Will this person's bank implement WEI in such a way that none of this person's devices (computer, phone) are supported and will this person not be willing or able to switch banks, only then buying a new computer comes into view.

Yes, they will, because it has already happened.

On Android many many banking apps block rooted phones and custom OSes by using Play Integrity and Safetynet. And then games started doing it too, you can't play Pokemon GO unless your phone's OS passes Safetynet. And then restaurants joined in. Sorry, you can't order from McDonald's unless you pass Safetynet.

When does it stop?

I have talked to government officials responsible for my country's digital security policy and they have explicitly told me that they want remote attestation to lock out devices not running big corporate systems and they do not care about freedom. The same ministry is responsible for police. If they could, they would forbid you doing anything that is not explicitly legal just to be safe.

It's called looking ahead to the straightforward results of the obvious power dynamic, to know what it will lead to when that dynamic gets entrenched enough to be taken for granted.

It's like how all these "free" websites coasted along for years being quite user friendly, but have recently switched to extraction mode. Anybody who thought about the incentives knew what was coming down the line eventually.

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