Ask HN: What's the Future of the Internet and Security?
I'm curious by nature, that's what keeps me up at night and brings me to HN. Wondering about the world, the internet, and cybersecurity – where are they headed? Hoping to spark some conversation among the curious minds here.

Where do you see the internet going? Browsers have been around for a while, but will they even exist in 10 or 50 years? I don't think the browser as we know it will be around then, nor the web we've built on. But the information, I believe, will be preserved. We love screens, but the real world matters too, so AI won't be our primary interface, right? Science fiction is full of screens! Voice assistants might not replace them entirely, but maybe in some situations.

Cybersecurity? We're nearing a tipping point for privacy, data ownership, and freedom. Most seem unconcerned, equating Facebook with the internet. But a large group fights for privacy and freedom. Will we all need IDs just to use the internet? What about targeted attacks and ransomware plagues?

Here are some burning questions:

* Where is the internet headed? What's its purpose in 20 years? Dead or alive?
* What happens to our right to privacy?
* Can we ever escape being products for corporations?
* Cybersecurity in 20 years? What will it look like?
* Government IDs or entirely new authentication?
* Will OAuth survive 10 years?
* Websites: a relic or reborn in 10 years? With our visual nature, what replaces them?
* Ransomware attacks – still a threat in 50 years?
* Technical hiring in 10 years? How will it change?
* Do you care about privacy, or have you resigned yourself?

So, will the internet change drastically, or only slightly deviated from our current standards?

Now, a startup question:

Suppose I've devised an authentication protocol that reduces the effectiveness of social engineering, keylogging, MITM attacks, brute-force attacks, and server intrusions. One that doesn't require a physical key, because how many everyday consumers really care about stuff like FIDO2? I'm talking about the kind of authentication where someone would have to physically break into your house in order to steal your information or login to your accounts. For businesses, the kind of authentication where an attacker would need to make millions of guesses and then start over with the guessing after a few seconds. Who do I talk to about getting something like this funded for further development? What if true privacy for everything you do on the internet was just right around the corner?

Alongside that, suppose I've devised a system like Mastodon or Bluesky, but it's not just social. How does one find funding for such a project? I can provide a demo, but it's not built on the web, isn't a website, and isn't published yet, so I can't exactly share it here. Also, if anybody is curious, I would be willing to answer questions that don't give out too many secrets, I just don't want something like this falling into the wrong hands. Funds or no funds, I'm looking for partners, mentors, and curious minds to join me in this endeavor; it might be a way to flip the table on the entire internet and gain back our fundamental human rights :) After all, we can't solve today's problems with yesterday's thinking.