On: GitHub Copilot regurgitates valid secrets

[alkonaut]

Base64 isn't numeric it's alphanumeric. The only reason this is reasonable (again) is that alomost all secrets like api keys or complex passwords are maximizing their information content and are therefore alphanumeric (or better). Base64 encoded data does too, and is an innocent casualty in that censorship.

[novatype → alkonaut]

> Base64 isn't numeric it's alphanumeric.

They meant that a number written in hex (base16) is still a number, even though you use some letters. Similarly, a number written in base64 is still a number.

[alkonaut → novatype]

Yes, and in that case I’d like it of Copilot erased/replaced any string over (say) 15 or 20 characters unless they are [0..9]+.

Obviously any string is a potential number in some encoding so the only encoding to exclude would be decimal.