I don't entirely follow points #1 and #3.
Re #1: There are myriad ways to get a temporary phone number, beyond Google Voice, Twilio, etc. For example, I can just use an anonymous pay-as-you-go phone. What would this accomplish beyond creating some slight inconvenience?
Re #3: I get the need for strong security. You could require multi-factor auth. But what does disallowing participation through a web browser get you that 2FA doesn't?
These are sincere questions. I'm not trying to be snarky, just understand what you're saying, because I agree there's room for improvement in this area.
#3. The idea is to tie the account a specific device (such as an iPhone), by generating a unique signature in the app. For this to be enforceable, logins outside the app cannot be permitted -- otherwise signatures can be forged.
#1. I still think #2 is a more important barrier, but I don't see a huge downside with this either. You didn't explicitly say this, but I think you're making the point that troll accounts can never be completely eradicated. But you can make it significantly less convenient for them, while minimally inconveniencing most legitimate users.
#3. I get the general idea, but I don't see how it's substantially more secure than requiring 2FA. I mean, GMail, Dropbox, AWS, etc., seem to think 2FA is sufficiently secure for very sensitive data, and they allow interacting through the web browser. Plus, at the end of the day, you'll need some mechanism for adding new devices, which will effectively work like 2FA โ I presume.
is that a good idea? If accounts are paid, then "richer" opinions have bigger impact on the site
I'm sure people will come up with some scenario where that's not 100% true, but I think it generally is. And you could probably devise alternate solutions for those exceptions. Some ideas off the top of my head:
1) The sign-up fee could be waived for anybody signing up with a .edu address.
2) Integrate with major library systems, and say the sign-up fee can be waived if you authenticate with a local library, enter your library card number, etc.
3) Offer a refund of the sign-up fee after 6 months of non-troll behavior.
I don't know. But I do think the benefits of having some money on the line and some basic identity verification outweigh the risk of drowning out some voices.
Some options:
1. Register with a phone number (do some basic checks to avoid Google Voice, Twilio, etc.)
2. Accounts cost $1, payable either through Payal or credit card. Accounts are tied to the payment credentials.
3. Participation is restricted to desktop and mobile apps employing strong anti-cracking measures and linking accounts to the current device only by way of unique hardware IDs.