On 2020-01-26 11:32 a.m., Andrew C Aitchison via mailop wrote:
On Sun, 26 Jan 2020, Jaroslaw Rafa via mailop wrote:
Similar thing happened to me recently when I wanted to re-login to
one of
those test accounts from my home computer, but I installed a new browser
which was not yet used with that account. Usually there are no
problems in
such a case, but my home Internet connection just went down that day
and I
had to switch to a backup connection via cellular modem. Probably
because
of IP address belonging to a generally-accessible mobile operator's
pool,
Google behaved differently when I logged in to the account. After I
already
provided a correct password, Google demanded from me to enter a phone
number
that can be used for verification (!) and I couldn't successfully
complete
the login procedure, because I didn't want to associate any phone number
with that account.
Hmm.
Proving that you can read a text sent to a number you provide today
does not prove that you are the person who used the ID and password
yesterday.
So they demand you provide a new verification channel so that you can
prove your ID *next* time ?
I find these multi-factor verifications unsettling because it takes
a significant effort to convince myself that the verification does
indeed prove what it is supposed to prove and that it is safe from
man-in-the-middle.
I have lost enough physical keys over the years to worry about what
happens if I lose my phone (which does not have a finger print reader) ..
I get the feeling this convoluted mechanism with no safe-guards or
way-out is less about verification and much more about tracking.
Now I just wish there is a mechanism to just delete the account that I
can no longer get into. Now it is lost to la-la land.
I am who I am, and my email and authentication codes prove it. Why the
continuing demand for further verification which no longer exist?
Hidden in the recovery mechanism is a statement saying is that someone
'may' look into it, given an email address. Does that actually happen?
Or is that just another add-on to their tracking toolings?
Frustrated with the inhuman machine,
Raymond.
_______________________________________________
mailop mailing list
mailop@mailop.org
https://chilli.nosignal.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/mailop
