[P5fRxh5kUvp2th]

I think you're getting downvoted but I agree with everything you've said.

So many tech people think that if there's an explanation it legitimizes the end behavior, but I emphatically disagree with that.

It doesn't matter WHY the browser is popping up a window that is indistinguishable from the surrounding website, it's shitty, compromising, behavior. Any series of decisions that end up with that as the result is mistaken somewhere in the chain, even if the mistake is the lack of the decision "this will make it confusing to users so we can't do it".

I don't use the in-built payment stuff and had no idea it popped up a modal, but when reading the article I absolutely had the same thought you did. Why the fuck would you do that?

And the answer is going to be "user experience" as if allowing a website to style that payment modal comes anywhere near allowing a site to style an inline video player. If you don't think user safety wrt payments isn't more important than "user experience" then what the hell is? Your head isn't on right.