let's address the elephant in the room: "why do i need to sign in to be verified in animochat?" it's a valid question, and honestly, i'd be suspicious too if some random app asked for my credentials. but hear me out—there's a method to this madness.
remember the wild west days of the internet where anyone could claim to be anyone? yeah, we're trying to avoid that. when we first brainstormed animochat, we had three options:
- trust everyone (chaos)
- create our own authentication system (more chaos)
- use existing school accounts (organized chaos)
guess which one we picked? drum roll... option 3! sometimes the best solution is the one that already exists.
okay, let's talk about those urls that look like they were generated by keyboard-smashing a cat. you know the ones—they start with supabase and look suspiciously long. here's the deal: that's just our authentication provider being itself. think of it as the bouncer checking your ID, but digital.
"but wait!" i hear you say, "can you see my email?" well... yes and no. it's like Schrödinger's email—it exists in our system but:
- normal users? nope, can't see it
- the dashboard? okay yes, but it's like having admin access to the school directory
- will we spam you? absolutely not (we're too busy fixing bugs anyway)
our RLS (row level security) policies are tighter than your tupperware's seal. your email is about as exposed as a turtle in its shell—technically there, but good luck getting to it.
look, i get it. signing in to yet another app feels like adding another key to an already crowded keychain. but think of it this way: we're not asking for your social security number or your wifi password (please don't give those out)
we're just trying to keep animochat as safe and reliable as possible. it's like wearing a helmet while cycling—sure, you could go without it, but why risk it?
P.S: if you're still worried about the verification process, remember: we're students too. we know the pain of sketchy websites, and we're doing our best to not be one of them.
happy chatting! and remember, if you see any bugs, they're not features. probably. maybe. okay, sometimes they are.