4 chapters across the catalog
Dave Jones discusses the negative reaction from prominent developers like Marco Arment regarding a proposal for HTTP signing in podcasting. Critics fear the technology could be used to block specific hosts or apps, leading to a lack of consensus on the GitHub proposal.
To resolve blocking issues, Dave Jones implemented HTTP signing using Cloudflare's "web-bot-auth" protocol. He repurposed existing Rust code from the ActivityPub bridge to publish public keys on podcastindex.org, though he notes that Cloudflare has yet to officially verify the bot despite the implementation.
The hosts compare the secretive AMP group to the transparent, public discussions regarding HTTP signing on GitHub. They also recall Google's "AMP" project for websites, which was eventually abandoned, leading to skepticism about the longevity of the new podcasting AMP initiative.
The discussion shifts to HTTP signing and the identification of download agents, specifically regarding HLS video. The hosts discuss how HLS video is being abused by scrapers, leading to expensive bandwidth bills for hosting companies like Buzzsprout, and the need for stronger client identification.
