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by jijijijij 77 days ago
> I wouldn't call this "known security issues", it's an inherent problem with any signup or forgot password page.

It's not inherent, though! Easy, definite fix: Reverse the communication relation. If the user has to open their mail app anyway, you could simply require them to send an email to you, instead of vice versa. This would solve the problem completely. (If spoofing the sender could be done reliably, the service wouldn't be involved in the first place.)

Now, it would slightly increase friction and lower convenience. That's why it's not done. It's inherently incompatible with dark patterns, data collection and questionable new user acquisition, but this too could be solved through standards and integration - without making Cloudflare de facto infrastructure necessity!

Possible convenient, better solutions: Have the browser send this mail, either by passing a template to the mail app, integrating SMTP into the browser/addon, or instate a novel authentication protocol, which in fact may remove the human interaction completely.

As if 2FA security was the main motivation for asking for email, and/or phone anyway. Companies want user IDs, if possible UIDs, as soon as possible to increase user data value and gain marketing opportunities. I once had a "welcome mail" after typing in the address, before sending the form. Yeah...

1 comments

Nothing with email can ever be an easy fix, although the idea is amusing. It is inherently the problem.
'Inherent' has an absoluteness, which I disproved. Relying on email, is inherently troublesome, I agree.

But as I said, it's not about what's technically, or ethically mandated, but what's ensuring users won't get annoyed (getting bombed with mails is bad PR). Companies collect all these IDs for their (future) shareholders first and foremost. Asking for email doesn't alert people. Phone number would be more alarming, but that's still becoming the norm. They would ask for a picture of your passport too, but ... oh, wait!

Casually integrating Cloudflare into everything (incl. TLS termination lol), only makes data collection incentives greater. Let's not give in by declaring Cloudflare a fundamental necessity. Or do, but don't complaint about your disowned life as cattle.

Cloudflare has a stranglehold on the internet, but its marketshare is much lower than the incumbant email giants. Aprroximately 70-90% of all email goes through Google & Microsoft. You're trading one benevolant toll keeper for another... except those two give you no recourse should you end up on a sh*tlist or don't meet their unspecified and forever changing criteria for being a recognised mail provider.
There is no trade tho.