Need an explanation

A neighbor called me over because his laptop was acting up, and when I took a look, he couldn't even get any websites to load! It turns out his system clock was set all the way to next year.

As soon as I fixed the date and time to the current setting, everything started working perfectly again.

So, I’ve gotta ask—why does that happen? Why do certain websites refuse to open just because the date and time are wrong?

Between all those digital certificates, various protocols, and other tech wizardry, everything relies on date and time stamps to run their checks.

Chris Hill said:won't let them open any websites

For example, if the system clock is set to May 29, 2020, and a neighbor tries to visit an HTTPS site with a certificate that expired on March 1, 2020, the browser will flag the site as insecure. It might even block access entirely, either temporarily or permanently.

That certificate is supposed to prove the site is legit, but honestly, anyone from the FBI to some random hacker could have obtained and installed one.

Since nobody seems capable of actually defending against attacks these days, they rely on these paranoid, over-the-top security measures. It ends up blocking 99% of perfectly legitimate online activity. It feels like a way to mask the real situation—trying to look like they’re working superhumanly hard for our safety while making sure they can never be held responsible for anything, anywhere, ever.