wowana.me
website source
commit 27ee65e8ddaf78fe0aa9a7543cad171b5a8d12c5 parent f84051211516461fc98e6b4c6e3fd998c5c22c77 Author: opal hart <opal@wowana.me> Date: Sun, 22 Sep 2019 19:24:05 +0000 new blog post: living without discord Diffstat:
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| A | out/blog/living-without-discord.xht | | | 246 | +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ |
| A | src/blog/living-without-discord.md | | | 212 | +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ |
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diff --git a/out/blog/feed.atom b/out/blog/feed.atom @@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ <link href="/blog/" rel="alternate"/> <link href="/blog/feed.atom" rel="self"/> <id>/blog/</id> - <updated>2019-09-03T05:38:17+0000</updated> + <updated>2019-09-20T15:16:55+0000</updated> <entry> <title>a musing on sharing and receiving opinions</title> <link href="/blog/a-musing-on-sharing-and-receiving-opinions.xht" rel="alternate" type="application/xhtml+xml" /> @@ -614,6 +614,226 @@ we can explore user-friendly alternatives together.</p> </content> </entry> <entry> + <title>living without Discord</title> + <link href="/blog/living-without-discord.xht" rel="alternate" type="application/xhtml+xml" /> + <id>/blog/living-without-discord.xht</id> + <published>2019-09-20T14:55:27+0000</published> + <updated>2019-09-20T15:16:53+0000</updated> + <author><name>opal hart</name></author> + <content type="xhtml"> + <div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> +<p>(okay, it's easy, and I've done it before. but since the E-mail thread +on the matter generated a lot of attention, I figured it was appropriate +to give some context in more of a prose format, as well as what I have +done to remain as a member in some communities in which I participate.)</p> + +<p>a quick chronological recap of my Discord usage:</p> + +<ul> +<li><strong><time datetime="2017-01-09">2017 Jan 09</time></strong>: I create a new +account on Discord, after having left it for a while due to being fed +up with the guilds I joined at the time. they were communities around +a video game I play, Agario, and quickly I figured out that I would +much rather play the game than get into drama within specific player +groups. by 2017 I was using Discord mostly to keep up with Twitch +communities and a variety of other video games, software projects (why +they choose Discord for their projects is beyond me), and various +communities.</li> +<li><p><strong><time datetime="2018-07-01">2018 Jul 01</time></strong>: I E-mail Discord +support because I started receiving reCAPTCHAs upon login, not for +Tor, but for using my VPS' IP address which has never been a vector +for abusive traffic nor has been blacklisted during my ownership of +the address:</p> + +<blockquote> + <p>Today I set up TOTP two-factor authentication for Discord, hoping I +could remove the E-mail confirmation and the reCAPTCHA for login. I had +to switch to a VPN IP address just now because my ISP has been unable +to resolve certain websites lately, including Discord, and so the +reCAPTCHA is giving me trouble and asking me to fill in a LOT of +captchas even though I'm sure I'm getting them right. I assume the IP +address I'm currently using is "high risk" in Google's database, but I +can't really help it.</p> + +<p>I don't have all night to fill these out just to check up on the chats +I'm in, so can you please care to explain why this extra step is +necessary for an otherwise-protected account? Other sites such as +NameCheap let me bypass CAPTCHA check if I set up two-factor.</p> +</blockquote> + +<p>Discord's response stated, <q>Right now, enabling 2FA on your account +will help you bypass the change in IP address emails for Discord, +however if we suspect suspicious activity you could still be flagged +with a Captcha.</q> I can't fairly say that I was ever suspect for +<q>suspicious activity</q> but regardless, Discord said they would +<q>pass [my] idea</q> along. to this day, it seems their login +mechanism has been untouched.</p></li> +<li><p><strong><time datetime="2018-10-04">2018 Oct 04</time></strong>: yet another +reCAPTCHA incident:</p> + +<blockquote> + <p>I want to use Firefox to access Discord now, but the reCAPTCHA is +endless and keeps telling me I have failed and that my browser is +sending automated queries. It continues to do this even if I allow all +cookies and scripts on the page (I use an addon to whitelist these for +security), and even if I disable any proxies and use my real IP +address. Audio reCAPTCHA tells me I need to try again later as well +(which seems unfair to blind users). As I have stated before, I have +two-factor authentication which should be enough to let me log in.</p> +</blockquote> + +<p>Discord would not waive their CAPTCHA requirement even still, and I +had to work around by <q>[l]ogging in from another browser, logging +out, and then logging in from Firefox</q>. as you can hopefully see by +now, I have a lot of problems simply with their login process, even +before my full use of Tor on the site.</p></li> +<li><p><strong><time datetime="2019-08-15">2019 Aug 15</time></strong>: after a long +period of Tor usage, working around the CAPTCHA issues by simply +waiting not to be served one upon login (and then proceeding <em>never</em> +to clear Discord cookies) I invite a user on my <q>friends</q> list to +a guild I had just created. almost instantly, this triggered a phone +verification prompt, which I could not bypass by using the mobile app +or another browser, even without Tor. this was not the first invite +I've sent to someone in my Discord contacts with Tor. the only +difference I can see is that my guild was less than a week old, but it +already had a few members from a public invite I sent in another +channel.</p> + +<p>you can see that E-mail exchange in <a href="/blog/guess-im-done-with-discord.xht" title="guess I'm done with Discord">my previous post</a>.</p></li> +<li><strong><time datetime="2019-08-16">2019 Aug 16</time></strong>: at least Discord +is a step above many other companies, letting me delete my account +without having login access to it. I was able to initiate the deletion +process over a support E-mail, and two weeks later, the account has +officially been deleted. people on Discord have confirmed that my +account has disappeared from the user listings.</li> +<li><strong>now</strong>: I am able to participate in certain guilds without the need +for a Discord account. I'll explain below.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<p>the E-mail exchange between me and Discord ended up on <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20789799">Hacker News</a> +to which it received a lot of attention, including that of a Discord +developer who claims that <q>code [his] team wrote caused [my] account +to be locked.</q> some misconceptions surfaced that I would like to +address:</p> + +<ul> +<li>yes, the tone for my E-mails was very blunt. I never degenerate to +this stage unless I am repeatedly dealing with someone's issues. it +seems to be the only way people will listen sometimes. I know E-mail +etiquette but I will not pretend to be something I am not, no matter +the medium. I am aware that customer service representatives have to +deal with a lot of shit on a regular basis, which is why I never gear +my frustrations to the representatives themselves, but instead to the +company they represent (except in some odd cases where the +representative is legitimately braindead, which hasn't been the case +for Discord).</li> +<li>some (now dead/flagged) comments suggested the usual: that I was a +criminal for using Tor, that I should use a VPN, that I was attacking +Discord even though I believe my initial blog post on the matter was +impartial, that Tor traffic somehow happened to kill their parents and +rape their kids, et cetera. I commented in the discussion already, +that I use Tor to encourage privacy awareness on the Internet. it's +less out of my own necessity for privacy (I use a normal Web browser +configured with a proxy and whatever privacy/security/anti-nuisance +tweaks I wished to include, rather than opting for Tor Browser. I +would still suggest Tor Browser for near-absolute anonymity at the +software level) and more to prove a point that yes, Tor is usable on +the Web, and yes, there is legitimate Tor traffic, especially from +censored countries and ISPs. the fact that Tor also attracts nefarious +usage is unfortunate yet unavoidable. people <em>need</em> to find other ways +of addressing issues inherent with the Internet.</li> +<li><p>the Discord employee himself suggested I purchase a burner phone for +the purpose of verifying my account. does anyone else find this +absurd? I didn't make a direct reply to him because I honestly was +getting tired of following the HN discussion, but it's odd that +developers know of ways around supplying a <q>legitimate</q> phone +number and not only don't see them as an issue, but also actively +encourage such practices.</p> + +<p>simply put, I will not pay any amount of money either directly or +indirectly for Discord. phone verification should never be a +requirement, either, since there are still people who only have +landlines (which Discord's partner Twilio does not support) or who +don't have a phone at all. and then there are the class of people who +only need/want VoIP, which as I stated in another comment, I would +eventually drop my cellular provider in favour of setting up a VoIP +phone, and then just prepaying for a data SIM, using Wi-Fi most of the +time. I believe this to be more cost-effective considering I want to +go all-out on my home Internet when I'm able to live on my own, and +given that the USA doesn't have a good choice of telcos, I can also +avoid financing those companies.</p></li> +</ul> + +<p>it isn't all bad, though. many people expressed agreement with me, +stating such things as:</p> + +<ul> +<li>while I hadn't paid for the service, it wouldn't have made a +difference even if I had paid e.g. for Nitro. others have complained +that Nitro subscribers do not receive elevated customer service. one +person stated that my mere presence on Discord helped to make it a +more viable product (however small my individual impact) and in that +way, I was actually <q>paying</q> Discord simply by using it and +strengthening its network effect.</li> +<li>Twilio's phone database is too poor and outdated to be viable for +verification, false-flagging users' phone numbers as VoIP when this is +not the case. chalk up another one for <q>phone verification is +awful</q>.</li> +<li>my tone in the support ticket was actually warranted (I was a bit +surprised to hear others side with me on this).</li> +<li>various assertions that Discord doesn't care about its userbase, that +reCAPTCHA is broken, … you know, painfully obvious things that some +people simply live with rather than avoid them. it's understandable; I +chose my own battles, and I will continue to use the Web in the manner +that I do, just to prove a point that it is possible to take the Web +back into my own hands.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<p>shortly after I requested deletion of my Discord account, I had set up +<a href="https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse">Synapse</a> for the <a href="https://matrix.org/">Matrix</a> chat protocol, where my public instance +now resides at <a href="https://matrix.volatile.bz/">https://matrix.volatile.bz/</a>. but before you make an +account on there, be warned that I provide zero guarantees for usability +or uptime. while I personally do use it, I am looking into an +alternative which would hopefully not use up so many resources and would +be more performant. so far, most (or, more accurately, all) of the +Matrix ecosystem is in a state of heavy development. personally I have +little faith in Matrix's long-term success, but at least there are +plenty of ways to bridge different other chat networks together, +including Discord.</p> + +<p>since I could not generate an API key for Discord (I'd have to ask +someone to do this on my behalf) and I simply did not want to run the +<a href="https://github.com/Half-Shot/matrix-appservice-discord" title="matrix-appservice-discord">node.js bridging software</a> due to fear of +running into issues with my already-limited resources, I settled for +<a href="https://t2bot.io/discord/">t2bot</a>, a public bridging service that bridges Telegram and Slack in +addition to Discord. sure, there are some issues with relation to +latency, but I believe this is justified by not having to hassle with +running the software myself. and for that I thank TravisR for offering +such a service. (you can <a href="https://t2bot.io/donations/">donate</a> to keep his +service alive if you wish.)</p> + +<p>this bridge now operates for the <a href="https://battlepedia.org/">BFBB Modding</a> guild, a community +dedicated to dissecting and making mods for the 2003 console game +<em>SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom</em>, a game I loved as a +kid and would never have expected such a following to this day; as well +as a small general chat guild for another community that disbanded +recently. I was a moderator in the BFBB guild due to my efforts for +hosting the game's wiki, and an administrator in the latter guild, which +incidentally had to be recreated because I could no longer transfer +ownership to another member. a third guild related to Minecraft +advertised their Matrix bridge to me, so I am joined there as well. I am +not sure whether the bridge existed already or if my departure from +Discord prompted them to set up a bridge; in any case, it's cool that +some other people see eye-to-eye with the issues Discord introduces to +free, open chat.</p> + </div> + </content> + </entry> + <entry> <title>my (and your) PGP habits could be better</title> <link href="/blog/my-and-your-pgp-habits-could-be-better.xht" rel="alternate" type="application/xhtml+xml" /> <id>/blog/my-and-your-pgp-habits-could-be-better.xht</id> diff --git a/out/blog/index.xht b/out/blog/index.xht @@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ <p><a href="/blog/feed.atom">atom feed</a></p> <ul> +<li><a href="living-without-discord.xht">living without Discord</a> <em>last updated <time datetime='2019-09-20T15:16:53+0000' title='2019-09-20T15:16:53+0000'>2019 Sep 20</time></em></li> <li><a href="guess-im-done-with-discord.xht">guess I'm done with Discord</a> <em>last updated <time datetime='2019-08-29T09:57:38+0000' title='2019-08-29T09:57:38+0000'>2019 Aug 29</time></em></li> <li><a href="federated-social-networking.xht">federated social networking</a> <em>last updated <time datetime='2019-08-29T09:41:55+0000' title='2019-08-29T09:41:55+0000'>2019 Aug 29</time></em></li> <li><a href="staying-safe-online.xht">staying safe online</a> <em>last updated <time datetime='2019-08-24T00:15:20+0000' title='2019-08-24T00:15:20+0000'>2019 Aug 24</time></em></li> diff --git a/out/blog/living-without-discord.xht b/out/blog/living-without-discord.xht @@ -0,0 +1,246 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> +<!DOCTYPE html> +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en-GB"> + <head> + <title>living without Discord – wowana.me</title> + <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/opal.css"/> + <link href="/blog/feed.atom" type="application/atom+xml" rel="alternate" title="Blog Atom feed" /> + </head> + <body> + <div class="sidebar-holder"> + <header class="sidebar"> + <img class="avatar" src="https://seccdn.libravatar.org/avatar/bb7163135b77def7691f06a4e295f3d4?s=290" alt="Libravatar"/> + <h1><a class="nolink" href="/">opal</a></h1> + <p class="subheader">wowaname</p> + <nav class="topnav"> + <ul> + <li><a href="/about.xht">about</a></li> + <li><a href="/blog/">blog</a></li> + <li><a href="/contact.xht">contact</a></li> + <li><a href="/donate.xht">donate</a></li> + <li><a href="/git/">git</a></li> + <li><a href="/pgp.xht">PGP</a></li> + <li><a href="/files/">files</a></li> + <li><a href="/permalink.xht">permalink</a></li> + <li>content is <a href="https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0">public domain</a> unless otherwise noted</li> + </ul> + </nav> + </header> + </div> + +<main id='living-without-discord'> +<h1>living without Discord</h1> + +<time datetime='2019-09-20T14:55:27+0000' title='2019-09-20T14:55:27+0000'>2019 Sep 20</time> + +<p>(okay, it's easy, and I've done it before. but since the E-mail thread +on the matter generated a lot of attention, I figured it was appropriate +to give some context in more of a prose format, as well as what I have +done to remain as a member in some communities in which I participate.)</p> + +<p>a quick chronological recap of my Discord usage:</p> + +<ul> +<li><strong><time datetime="2017-01-09">2017 Jan 09</time></strong>: I create a new +account on Discord, after having left it for a while due to being fed +up with the guilds I joined at the time. they were communities around +a video game I play, Agario, and quickly I figured out that I would +much rather play the game than get into drama within specific player +groups. by 2017 I was using Discord mostly to keep up with Twitch +communities and a variety of other video games, software projects (why +they choose Discord for their projects is beyond me), and various +communities.</li> +<li><p><strong><time datetime="2018-07-01">2018 Jul 01</time></strong>: I E-mail Discord +support because I started receiving reCAPTCHAs upon login, not for +Tor, but for using my VPS' IP address which has never been a vector +for abusive traffic nor has been blacklisted during my ownership of +the address:</p> + +<blockquote> + <p>Today I set up TOTP two-factor authentication for Discord, hoping I +could remove the E-mail confirmation and the reCAPTCHA for login. I had +to switch to a VPN IP address just now because my ISP has been unable +to resolve certain websites lately, including Discord, and so the +reCAPTCHA is giving me trouble and asking me to fill in a LOT of +captchas even though I'm sure I'm getting them right. I assume the IP +address I'm currently using is "high risk" in Google's database, but I +can't really help it.</p> + +<p>I don't have all night to fill these out just to check up on the chats +I'm in, so can you please care to explain why this extra step is +necessary for an otherwise-protected account? Other sites such as +NameCheap let me bypass CAPTCHA check if I set up two-factor.</p> +</blockquote> + +<p>Discord's response stated, <q>Right now, enabling 2FA on your account +will help you bypass the change in IP address emails for Discord, +however if we suspect suspicious activity you could still be flagged +with a Captcha.</q> I can't fairly say that I was ever suspect for +<q>suspicious activity</q> but regardless, Discord said they would +<q>pass [my] idea</q> along. to this day, it seems their login +mechanism has been untouched.</p></li> +<li><p><strong><time datetime="2018-10-04">2018 Oct 04</time></strong>: yet another +reCAPTCHA incident:</p> + +<blockquote> + <p>I want to use Firefox to access Discord now, but the reCAPTCHA is +endless and keeps telling me I have failed and that my browser is +sending automated queries. It continues to do this even if I allow all +cookies and scripts on the page (I use an addon to whitelist these for +security), and even if I disable any proxies and use my real IP +address. Audio reCAPTCHA tells me I need to try again later as well +(which seems unfair to blind users). As I have stated before, I have +two-factor authentication which should be enough to let me log in.</p> +</blockquote> + +<p>Discord would not waive their CAPTCHA requirement even still, and I +had to work around by <q>[l]ogging in from another browser, logging +out, and then logging in from Firefox</q>. as you can hopefully see by +now, I have a lot of problems simply with their login process, even +before my full use of Tor on the site.</p></li> +<li><p><strong><time datetime="2019-08-15">2019 Aug 15</time></strong>: after a long +period of Tor usage, working around the CAPTCHA issues by simply +waiting not to be served one upon login (and then proceeding <em>never</em> +to clear Discord cookies) I invite a user on my <q>friends</q> list to +a guild I had just created. almost instantly, this triggered a phone +verification prompt, which I could not bypass by using the mobile app +or another browser, even without Tor. this was not the first invite +I've sent to someone in my Discord contacts with Tor. the only +difference I can see is that my guild was less than a week old, but it +already had a few members from a public invite I sent in another +channel.</p> + +<p>you can see that E-mail exchange in <a href="/blog/guess-im-done-with-discord.xht" title="guess I'm done with Discord">my previous post</a>.</p></li> +<li><strong><time datetime="2019-08-16">2019 Aug 16</time></strong>: at least Discord +is a step above many other companies, letting me delete my account +without having login access to it. I was able to initiate the deletion +process over a support E-mail, and two weeks later, the account has +officially been deleted. people on Discord have confirmed that my +account has disappeared from the user listings.</li> +<li><strong>now</strong>: I am able to participate in certain guilds without the need +for a Discord account. I'll explain below.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<p>the E-mail exchange between me and Discord ended up on <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20789799">Hacker News</a> +to which it received a lot of attention, including that of a Discord +developer who claims that <q>code [his] team wrote caused [my] account +to be locked.</q> some misconceptions surfaced that I would like to +address:</p> + +<ul> +<li>yes, the tone for my E-mails was very blunt. I never degenerate to +this stage unless I am repeatedly dealing with someone's issues. it +seems to be the only way people will listen sometimes. I know E-mail +etiquette but I will not pretend to be something I am not, no matter +the medium. I am aware that customer service representatives have to +deal with a lot of shit on a regular basis, which is why I never gear +my frustrations to the representatives themselves, but instead to the +company they represent (except in some odd cases where the +representative is legitimately braindead, which hasn't been the case +for Discord).</li> +<li>some (now dead/flagged) comments suggested the usual: that I was a +criminal for using Tor, that I should use a VPN, that I was attacking +Discord even though I believe my initial blog post on the matter was +impartial, that Tor traffic somehow happened to kill their parents and +rape their kids, et cetera. I commented in the discussion already, +that I use Tor to encourage privacy awareness on the Internet. it's +less out of my own necessity for privacy (I use a normal Web browser +configured with a proxy and whatever privacy/security/anti-nuisance +tweaks I wished to include, rather than opting for Tor Browser. I +would still suggest Tor Browser for near-absolute anonymity at the +software level) and more to prove a point that yes, Tor is usable on +the Web, and yes, there is legitimate Tor traffic, especially from +censored countries and ISPs. the fact that Tor also attracts nefarious +usage is unfortunate yet unavoidable. people <em>need</em> to find other ways +of addressing issues inherent with the Internet.</li> +<li><p>the Discord employee himself suggested I purchase a burner phone for +the purpose of verifying my account. does anyone else find this +absurd? I didn't make a direct reply to him because I honestly was +getting tired of following the HN discussion, but it's odd that +developers know of ways around supplying a <q>legitimate</q> phone +number and not only don't see them as an issue, but also actively +encourage such practices.</p> + +<p>simply put, I will not pay any amount of money either directly or +indirectly for Discord. phone verification should never be a +requirement, either, since there are still people who only have +landlines (which Discord's partner Twilio does not support) or who +don't have a phone at all. and then there are the class of people who +only need/want VoIP, which as I stated in another comment, I would +eventually drop my cellular provider in favour of setting up a VoIP +phone, and then just prepaying for a data SIM, using Wi-Fi most of the +time. I believe this to be more cost-effective considering I want to +go all-out on my home Internet when I'm able to live on my own, and +given that the USA doesn't have a good choice of telcos, I can also +avoid financing those companies.</p></li> +</ul> + +<p>it isn't all bad, though. many people expressed agreement with me, +stating such things as:</p> + +<ul> +<li>while I hadn't paid for the service, it wouldn't have made a +difference even if I had paid e.g. for Nitro. others have complained +that Nitro subscribers do not receive elevated customer service. one +person stated that my mere presence on Discord helped to make it a +more viable product (however small my individual impact) and in that +way, I was actually <q>paying</q> Discord simply by using it and +strengthening its network effect.</li> +<li>Twilio's phone database is too poor and outdated to be viable for +verification, false-flagging users' phone numbers as VoIP when this is +not the case. chalk up another one for <q>phone verification is +awful</q>.</li> +<li>my tone in the support ticket was actually warranted (I was a bit +surprised to hear others side with me on this).</li> +<li>various assertions that Discord doesn't care about its userbase, that +reCAPTCHA is broken, … you know, painfully obvious things that some +people simply live with rather than avoid them. it's understandable; I +chose my own battles, and I will continue to use the Web in the manner +that I do, just to prove a point that it is possible to take the Web +back into my own hands.</li> +</ul> + +<hr /> + +<p>shortly after I requested deletion of my Discord account, I had set up +<a href="https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse">Synapse</a> for the <a href="https://matrix.org/">Matrix</a> chat protocol, where my public instance +now resides at <a href="https://matrix.volatile.bz/">https://matrix.volatile.bz/</a>. but before you make an +account on there, be warned that I provide zero guarantees for usability +or uptime. while I personally do use it, I am looking into an +alternative which would hopefully not use up so many resources and would +be more performant. so far, most (or, more accurately, all) of the +Matrix ecosystem is in a state of heavy development. personally I have +little faith in Matrix's long-term success, but at least there are +plenty of ways to bridge different other chat networks together, +including Discord.</p> + +<p>since I could not generate an API key for Discord (I'd have to ask +someone to do this on my behalf) and I simply did not want to run the +<a href="https://github.com/Half-Shot/matrix-appservice-discord" title="matrix-appservice-discord">node.js bridging software</a> due to fear of +running into issues with my already-limited resources, I settled for +<a href="https://t2bot.io/discord/">t2bot</a>, a public bridging service that bridges Telegram and Slack in +addition to Discord. sure, there are some issues with relation to +latency, but I believe this is justified by not having to hassle with +running the software myself. and for that I thank TravisR for offering +such a service. (you can <a href="https://t2bot.io/donations/">donate</a> to keep his +service alive if you wish.)</p> + +<p>this bridge now operates for the <a href="https://battlepedia.org/">BFBB Modding</a> guild, a community +dedicated to dissecting and making mods for the 2003 console game +<em>SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom</em>, a game I loved as a +kid and would never have expected such a following to this day; as well +as a small general chat guild for another community that disbanded +recently. I was a moderator in the BFBB guild due to my efforts for +hosting the game's wiki, and an administrator in the latter guild, which +incidentally had to be recreated because I could no longer transfer +ownership to another member. a third guild related to Minecraft +advertised their Matrix bridge to me, so I am joined there as well. I am +not sure whether the bridge existed already or if my departure from +Discord prompted them to set up a bridge; in any case, it's cool that +some other people see eye-to-eye with the issues Discord introduces to +free, open chat.</p> +</main> + </body> +</html> diff --git a/src/blog/living-without-discord.md b/src/blog/living-without-discord.md @@ -0,0 +1,212 @@ +# living without Discord +<!--[time 201909201455.27]--> + +(okay, it's easy, and I've done it before. but since the E-mail thread +on the matter generated a lot of attention, I figured it was appropriate +to give some context in more of a prose format, as well as what I have +done to remain as a member in some communities in which I participate.) + +a quick chronological recap of my Discord usage: + +* **<time datetime="2017-01-09">2017 Jan 09</time>**: I create a new + account on Discord, after having left it for a while due to being fed + up with the guilds I joined at the time. they were communities around + a video game I play, Agario, and quickly I figured out that I would + much rather play the game than get into drama within specific player + groups. by 2017 I was using Discord mostly to keep up with Twitch + communities and a variety of other video games, software projects (why + they choose Discord for their projects is beyond me), and various + communities. +* **<time datetime="2018-07-01">2018 Jul 01</time>**: I E-mail Discord + support because I started receiving reCAPTCHAs upon login, not for + Tor, but for using my VPS' IP address which has never been a vector + for abusive traffic nor has been blacklisted during my ownership of + the address: + + > Today I set up TOTP two-factor authentication for Discord, hoping I + > could remove the E-mail confirmation and the reCAPTCHA for login. I had + > to switch to a VPN IP address just now because my ISP has been unable + > to resolve certain websites lately, including Discord, and so the + > reCAPTCHA is giving me trouble and asking me to fill in a LOT of + > captchas even though I'm sure I'm getting them right. I assume the IP + > address I'm currently using is "high risk" in Google's database, but I + > can't really help it. + > + > I don't have all night to fill these out just to check up on the chats + > I'm in, so can you please care to explain why this extra step is + > necessary for an otherwise-protected account? Other sites such as + > NameCheap let me bypass CAPTCHA check if I set up two-factor. + + Discord's response stated, <q>Right now, enabling 2FA on your account + will help you bypass the change in IP address emails for Discord, + however if we suspect suspicious activity you could still be flagged + with a Captcha.</q> I can't fairly say that I was ever suspect for + <q>suspicious activity</q> but regardless, Discord said they would + <q>pass [my] idea</q> along. to this day, it seems their login + mechanism has been untouched. +* **<time datetime="2018-10-04">2018 Oct 04</time>**: yet another + reCAPTCHA incident: + + > I want to use Firefox to access Discord now, but the reCAPTCHA is + > endless and keeps telling me I have failed and that my browser is + > sending automated queries. It continues to do this even if I allow all + > cookies and scripts on the page (I use an addon to whitelist these for + > security), and even if I disable any proxies and use my real IP + > address. Audio reCAPTCHA tells me I need to try again later as well + > (which seems unfair to blind users). As I have stated before, I have + > two-factor authentication which should be enough to let me log in. + + Discord would not waive their CAPTCHA requirement even still, and I + had to work around by <q>[l]ogging in from another browser, logging + out, and then logging in from Firefox</q>. as you can hopefully see by + now, I have a lot of problems simply with their login process, even + before my full use of Tor on the site. +* **<time datetime="2019-08-15">2019 Aug 15</time>**: after a long + period of Tor usage, working around the CAPTCHA issues by simply + waiting not to be served one upon login (and then proceeding *never* + to clear Discord cookies) I invite a user on my <q>friends</q> list to + a guild I had just created. almost instantly, this triggered a phone + verification prompt, which I could not bypass by using the mobile app + or another browser, even without Tor. this was not the first invite + I've sent to someone in my Discord contacts with Tor. the only + difference I can see is that my guild was less than a week old, but it + already had a few members from a public invite I sent in another + channel. + + you can see that E-mail exchange in [my previous post] []. +* **<time datetime="2019-08-16">2019 Aug 16</time>**: at least Discord + is a step above many other companies, letting me delete my account + without having login access to it. I was able to initiate the deletion + process over a support E-mail, and two weeks later, the account has + officially been deleted. people on Discord have confirmed that my + account has disappeared from the user listings. +* **now**: I am able to participate in certain guilds without the need + for a Discord account. I'll explain below. + +[my previous post]: </blog/guess-im-done-with-discord.xht> "guess I'm done with Discord" + +---- + +the E-mail exchange between me and Discord ended up on [Hacker News] [] +to which it received a lot of attention, including that of a Discord +developer who claims that <q>code [his] team wrote caused [my] account +to be locked.</q> some misconceptions surfaced that I would like to +address: + +* yes, the tone for my E-mails was very blunt. I never degenerate to + this stage unless I am repeatedly dealing with someone's issues. it + seems to be the only way people will listen sometimes. I know E-mail + etiquette but I will not pretend to be something I am not, no matter + the medium. I am aware that customer service representatives have to + deal with a lot of shit on a regular basis, which is why I never gear + my frustrations to the representatives themselves, but instead to the + company they represent (except in some odd cases where the + representative is legitimately braindead, which hasn't been the case + for Discord). +* some (now dead/flagged) comments suggested the usual: that I was a + criminal for using Tor, that I should use a VPN, that I was attacking + Discord even though I believe my initial blog post on the matter was + impartial, that Tor traffic somehow happened to kill their parents and + rape their kids, et cetera. I commented in the discussion already, + that I use Tor to encourage privacy awareness on the Internet. it's + less out of my own necessity for privacy (I use a normal Web browser + configured with a proxy and whatever privacy/security/anti-nuisance + tweaks I wished to include, rather than opting for Tor Browser. I + would still suggest Tor Browser for near-absolute anonymity at the + software level) and more to prove a point that yes, Tor is usable on + the Web, and yes, there is legitimate Tor traffic, especially from + censored countries and ISPs. the fact that Tor also attracts nefarious + usage is unfortunate yet unavoidable. people *need* to find other ways + of addressing issues inherent with the Internet. +* the Discord employee himself suggested I purchase a burner phone for + the purpose of verifying my account. does anyone else find this + absurd? I didn't make a direct reply to him because I honestly was + getting tired of following the HN discussion, but it's odd that + developers know of ways around supplying a <q>legitimate</q> phone + number and not only don't see them as an issue, but also actively + encourage such practices. + + simply put, I will not pay any amount of money either directly or + indirectly for Discord. phone verification should never be a + requirement, either, since there are still people who only have + landlines (which Discord's partner Twilio does not support) or who + don't have a phone at all. and then there are the class of people who + only need/want VoIP, which as I stated in another comment, I would + eventually drop my cellular provider in favour of setting up a VoIP + phone, and then just prepaying for a data SIM, using Wi-Fi most of the + time. I believe this to be more cost-effective considering I want to + go all-out on my home Internet when I'm able to live on my own, and + given that the USA doesn't have a good choice of telcos, I can also + avoid financing those companies. + +it isn't all bad, though. many people expressed agreement with me, +stating such things as: + +* while I hadn't paid for the service, it wouldn't have made a + difference even if I had paid e.g. for Nitro. others have complained + that Nitro subscribers do not receive elevated customer service. one + person stated that my mere presence on Discord helped to make it a + more viable product (however small my individual impact) and in that + way, I was actually <q>paying</q> Discord simply by using it and + strengthening its network effect. +* Twilio's phone database is too poor and outdated to be viable for + verification, false-flagging users' phone numbers as VoIP when this is + not the case. chalk up another one for <q>phone verification is + awful</q>. +* my tone in the support ticket was actually warranted (I was a bit + surprised to hear others side with me on this). +* various assertions that Discord doesn't care about its userbase, that + reCAPTCHA is broken, … you know, painfully obvious things that some + people simply live with rather than avoid them. it's understandable; I + chose my own battles, and I will continue to use the Web in the manner + that I do, just to prove a point that it is possible to take the Web + back into my own hands. + +[Hacker News]: <https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20789799> + +---- + +shortly after I requested deletion of my Discord account, I had set up +[Synapse] [] for the [Matrix] [] chat protocol, where my public instance +now resides at <https://matrix.volatile.bz/>. but before you make an +account on there, be warned that I provide zero guarantees for usability +or uptime. while I personally do use it, I am looking into an +alternative which would hopefully not use up so many resources and would +be more performant. so far, most (or, more accurately, all) of the +Matrix ecosystem is in a state of heavy development. personally I have +little faith in Matrix's long-term success, but at least there are +plenty of ways to bridge different other chat networks together, +including Discord. + +since I could not generate an API key for Discord (I'd have to ask +someone to do this on my behalf) and I simply did not want to run the +[node.js bridging software] [matrix-appservice-discord] due to fear of +running into issues with my already-limited resources, I settled for +[t2bot] [], a public bridging service that bridges Telegram and Slack in +addition to Discord. sure, there are some issues with relation to +latency, but I believe this is justified by not having to hassle with +running the software myself. and for that I thank TravisR for offering +such a service. (you can [donate] [t2bot donation page] to keep his +service alive if you wish.) + +this bridge now operates for the [BFBB Modding] [] guild, a community +dedicated to dissecting and making mods for the 2003 console game +*SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom*, a game I loved as a +kid and would never have expected such a following to this day; as well +as a small general chat guild for another community that disbanded +recently. I was a moderator in the BFBB guild due to my efforts for +hosting the game's wiki, and an administrator in the latter guild, which +incidentally had to be recreated because I could no longer transfer +ownership to another member. a third guild related to Minecraft +advertised their Matrix bridge to me, so I am joined there as well. I am +not sure whether the bridge existed already or if my departure from +Discord prompted them to set up a bridge; in any case, it's cool that +some other people see eye-to-eye with the issues Discord introduces to +free, open chat. + +[Synapse]: <https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse> +[Matrix]: <https://matrix.org/> +[matrix-appservice-discord]: <https://github.com/Half-Shot/matrix-appservice-discord> "matrix-appservice-discord" +[t2bot]: <https://t2bot.io/discord/> +[t2bot donation page]: <https://t2bot.io/donations/> +[BFBB Modding]: <https://battlepedia.org/>