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'I want your Instagram account': a deadly campaign over coveted handles

businessinsider.com

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Re: 'I want your Instagram account': a deadly campaign over coveted handles

#101

Post by tinus_hn »

egypturnash wrote: post #20
Victerius wrote: post #7

Easy solution: Assign all accounts a unique and randomly generated ID, and allow everyone to then use the handle they want. If someone wants to write a @handle in a post or a comment, a list shall appear, asking them to choose the account they wish to link to. IDs shall be public, and the list shall present itself as something like "@Max 36hf28bcd ; @Max 9jv1tcsh ; @Max b63avg960"

Discord does this and it's really annoying . Especially if your usual handle is actually sufficiently unique that you've never had a name collision on any site, ever. It's almost as annoying as trying to remember anyone's ICQ number. "Easy" solution: all account names must be at least ten characters long, single dictionary words and common first names are illegal. Make everyone spend some time picking a Good Handle.

As long as you can login using your email address you don’t need to remember it. Never mind that I don’t even know the number on my account nor the password, that’s what password managers are for.

Re: 'I want your Instagram account': a deadly campaign over coveted handles

#102

Post by askafriend »

X9 wrote: post #37

I grabbed a short 2-letter Twitter handle within a few months after they launched. A few years ago I had someone used SIM hijacking to steal access to my phone number. This failed to get access to my Twitter account because I never set up a recovery phone number, however he got access to my Facebook and a few other accounts. I got T-Mobile to fix the SIM swap, but after 3 nights of harassment I just changed my handle…

IMO you shouldn't have given in. You should have been extremely petty here on principal - the situation calls for it.

Re: 'I want your Instagram account': a deadly campaign over coveted handles

#103

Post by 411111111111111 »

bryanrasmussen wrote: post #95
xoa wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Telecom companies must make changes to prevent this kind of spoofing. Traditional phone companies absolutely should do a better job vs spoofing (and I believe there is supposed to be at least some progress there via STIR/SHAKEN in the US at least), but I'm a lot more inclined to blame services and particularly armed response services that still treat them as secure in a way they have long long LOOONNNGGG since prov…

> but by his own (suspicious) words nobody is in any immediate danger. I'd agree, were it not for my knee-jerk tendency to argue the contrary - the girlfriend may in fact not be dead, but only in shock. Also how do you know there isn't anyone in the house? But probably those would be outlier situations, and the steps you suggest would be better than storming in.

You can always imagine situations in which any approach would be preferable to another, which is why they're terrible for determining the correct way to act.

What is more important is how society will act with said regulations/decisions, and then you'll have no choice but accept that the best way forward is the one that's hardest to abuse.

The aggressive approach is extremely easy to abuse and there are currently no dangers associated to the abuser, which is why SWATing is on the rise.

Re: 'I want your Instagram account': a deadly campaign over coveted handles

#104

Post by Lio »

It's only a very small part of this but I have to wonder why "cash on delivery" is a thing.

As far as I'm aware that's very usual in my country. We have no shortage of delivery services but they all need to be paid up front with a credit card.

It's like the US food industry has made itself a willing part of the harassment industry. The only reason I can think of for them to really want to offer this service is as a tax dodge.

I'm sure that there's no end of alternative ways that the inventive scumbag can think of to annoy people but that one at least is not open to them here.

Re: 'I want your Instagram account': a deadly campaign over coveted handles

#105

Post by 411111111111111 »

CommitSyn wrote: post #90
Dig1t wrote: post #81

This seems like such needless hassle and pain for everyone involved. If these companies just adopted a username system like most video games, where the user gets to pick any name they want and some arbitrary numbers get tacked on to the end, then this situation would be totally solved.

The problem is that these usernames are used to represent companies. They say "Follow us on social media: @Swann" but "Follow us on social media: Swann#58139" would be much harder for customers and potential customers to remember, and could lead to fat-fingered phishing and other issues.

You can always treat verified corporations and celebrities differently to the general population... Heck, they already do so it wouldn't be a big change.

Or even easier: make them into a paid product, potentially even a small subscription. now you can milk people that want them

Re: 'I want your Instagram account': a deadly campaign over coveted handles

#106

Post by moring »

"Eberle left work and drove to the Palo Alto police station, where he explained the situation. But there wasn't much the police could do about it."

This is, IMHO, the key part. Mr Eberle found himself in a situation that would result in criminal charges for the "attackers" if they could be found, but the police simply gives up.

Re: 'I want your Instagram account': a deadly campaign over coveted handles

#107

Post by muro »

Brajeshwar wrote: post #72
wrycoder wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I thought that gmail ignored the period, and would not allow registering one of those accounts if the other one already existed.

Well then, they didn't or it is relaxed now. I'm at the receiving end.

Pretty sure the dot is still ignored

Re: 'I want your Instagram account': a deadly campaign over coveted handles

#108

Post by sph »

Lio wrote: post #104

It's only a very small part of this but I have to wonder why "cash on delivery" is a thing. As far as I'm aware that's very usual in my country. We have no shortage of delivery services but they all need to be paid up front with a credit card. It's like the US food industry has made itself a willing part of the harassment industry. The only reason I can think of for them to really want to offer this service is as a t…

Americans love their cash money. They say it's part of their freedom or something, but I'm not that convinced.

Re: 'I want your Instagram account': a deadly campaign over coveted handles

#109

Post by krageon »

411111111111111 wrote: post #105
CommitSyn wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that these usernames are used to represent companies. They say "Follow us on social media: @Swann" but "Follow us on social media: Swann#58139" would be much harder for customers and potential customers to remember, and could lead to fat-fingered phishing and other issues.

You can always treat verified corporations and celebrities differently to the general population... Heck, they already do so it wouldn't be a big change. Or even easier: make them into a paid product, potentially even a small subscription. now you can milk people that want them

Everyone should be treated equal. Special treatment for certain things is essentially the entire issue under discussion.
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