Is Hacker News Safe?
Exercise caution with Hacker News. Hacker News is a website with a Nerq Trust Score of 48.2/100 (D), based on 3 independent data dimensions. It is below the recommended threshold of 70. Security: 90/100. Popularity: 0/100. Data sourced from domain registration, SSL certificates, Tranco ranking, and web reputation databases. Last updated: 2026-03-25. Machine-readable data (JSON).
Is Hacker News safe?
NO — USE WITH CAUTION — Hacker News has a Nerq Trust Score of 48.2/100 (D). It has below-average trust signals with significant gaps in security, maintenance, or documentation. Not recommended for production use without thorough manual review and additional security measures.
Trust Score Breakdown
Key Findings
Details
| Author | Unknown |
| Category | website |
| Source | N/A |
Hacker News Across Platforms
Same developer/company in other registries:
Safety Guide: Hacker News
What is Hacker News?
Hacker News is a website — US social news site by Y Combinator. Technology and startup-focused community discussion..
How to Verify Safety
Check domain age, SSL certificate, and security headers.
You can also check the trust score via API: GET /v1/preflight?target=Hacker News
Key Safety Concerns for websites
When evaluating any website, watch for: domain age, SSL validity, scam indicators.
Trust Assessment
Hacker News has a Nerq Trust Score of 48/100 (D) and has not yet reached Nerq trust threshold (70+). This score is based on automated analysis of security, maintenance, community, and quality signals.
Key Takeaways
- Hacker News has a Trust Score of 48/100 (D).
- Review carefully before use — below trust threshold.
- Always verify independently using the Nerq API.
Detailed Score Analysis
| Dimension | Score |
|---|---|
| Security | 90/100 |
| Privacy | 39/100 |
| Reliability | 49/100 |
| Transparency | 36/100 |
| Maintenance | 60/100 |
Based on 5 dimensions. Data from domain registration, SSL certificates, Tranco ranking, and web reputation databases.
What data does Hacker News collect?
Hacker News: US social news site by Y Combinator. Technology and startup-focused community discussion.
Privacy score: 39/100. Review the privacy policy for data collection practices, cookie usage, and third-party tracking. Check for HTTPS encryption and transparent data handling.
Full analysis: Hacker News Privacy Report · Privacy review
Is Hacker News secure?
Security score: 90/100. This meets the recommended security threshold for production use.
Nerq monitors this entity against NVD, OSV.dev, and registry-specific vulnerability databases for ongoing security assessment.
Full analysis: Hacker News Security Report
How we calculated this score
Hacker News's trust score of 48.2/100 (D) is computed from domain registration, SSL certificates, Tranco ranking, and web reputation databases. The score reflects 5 independent dimensions: security (90/100), privacy (39/100), reliability (49/100), transparency (36/100), maintenance (60/100). Each dimension is weighted equally to produce the composite trust score.
Nerq analyzes over 7.5 million entities across 26 registries using the same methodology, enabling direct cross-entity comparison. Scores are updated continuously as new data becomes available.
This page was last reviewed on March 25, 2026. Data version: 1.0.
Full methodology documentation · Machine-readable data (JSON API)
Frequently Asked Questions
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Disclaimer: Nerq trust scores are automated assessments based on publicly available signals. They are not endorsements or guarantees. Always conduct your own due diligence.