Ask HN: Why isn't there a universal Like API for web content? Content Signals

While reading lots of great content on the web, I'd love to click a Like button - preferably in my browser, that lets the author know I enjoyed the content they wrote. Why isn't there a universal Web API that Browsers can integrate with, so when you press something in your browser, it hits the Content API and gives it a Like? The author can then use that Content Like spec and wire it into their own homegrown like system, 3rd party system, etc.

We need more signals for web content to make it interactive, following web standards.

Just bookmarking something is only client side and should also be a signal to the author as well, again with an API to capture this since it's a valuable metric.