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Tell HN: Google requiring phone number to log into Chromebook

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Re: Tell HN: Google requiring phone number to log into Chromebook

#151

Post by RetardedKumars »

st1ck wrote: post #132
Springtime wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup. And Yandex is one of the only free email services left that doesn't require a phone number to register yet they stuck me with a lockout on the account weeks later (still haven't bothered to re-activate the account yet). Not to mention that I created both a custom question and answer with randomly generated strings that couldn't possibly have been known by anyone else, which they confirmed as correct during the l…

https://cock.li/ doesn't require phone number (you can also choose other domain name)

It's a one man show and can disappear any moment. Following is pure speculation, but it raises concerns as well. Owner of cock.li leaked that he had a job in Romania. What could possibly an US citizen do in Romania? Well, Romania has an US military base, so he could be an IT contractor connected to that, which makes cock.li just a honeypot.

Re: Tell HN: Google requiring phone number to log into Chromebook

#153

Post by gordo4 »

jdeibele wrote: post #145
richrichardsson wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stupid "security" questions, I've started answering them like "what's your favourite colour?" - "colour" or "what was your first pet's name" - "pet". There are a few things that make me wonder if I can trust a company. Security questions, stupid password restrictions, sending me a password in plain text via email.

I used to give my real birthday. Then I kept reading about how knowing that plus your address (usually easy to find on the internet - whitepages.com, etc.) got someone a long ways toward imitating you. So I started making up birthdays but would have problems because I didn't remember them. So now I just use the epoch, which I think somebody here suggested.

I put January 1, 1970 as my birthday, and sometimes I can tell sites convert to timestamp and then it rejects my entry because it evaluates to zero which is falsely.

Re: Tell HN: Google requiring phone number to log into Chromebook

#154

Post by binomialxenon »

algog wrote: post #142
CaptainZapp wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't want to spend money. Not even a few quid, because a scummy company suddenly doesn't let me access my device, which I "own" for years without surrendering even more personal information. That's apart from what other posters explained. That in a lot of countries you can't just get a sim from a kiosk, or a vending machine without proper identification.

Use TextNow app- it gives you free phone numbers.

Many services that require phone numbers can tell if a number is a free VOIP number and will not accept it for verification.

Re: Tell HN: Google requiring phone number to log into Chromebook

#155

Post by binomialxenon »

lloeki wrote: post #100
greenhatman wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Doesn't Apple do that too? One of the reasons I use Linux on my MacBook.

You can set up a Mac or iOS device without ever logging into an Apple account. The only place it is "required" (well, not strictly required , but I guess an iOS device is not that useful otherwise) is for the App Store to get apps (someone correct me on this but I'm not sure you can download free apps without an Apple account, and there's a way, although convoluted IIRC, to create one without entering credit card det…

Last I heard, you can't download any apps without signing in with an Apple ID. Since sideloading is impractical on iOS, this would make the phone not very useful as you can't install any software.

Re: Tell HN: Google requiring phone number to log into Chromebook

#156

Post by gambiting »

jdeibele wrote: post #145
richrichardsson wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stupid "security" questions, I've started answering them like "what's your favourite colour?" - "colour" or "what was your first pet's name" - "pet". There are a few things that make me wonder if I can trust a company. Security questions, stupid password restrictions, sending me a password in plain text via email.

I used to give my real birthday. Then I kept reading about how knowing that plus your address (usually easy to find on the internet - whitepages.com, etc.) got someone a long ways toward imitating you. So I started making up birthdays but would have problems because I didn't remember them. So now I just use the epoch, which I think somebody here suggested.

The issue then is that some services will require a copy of your ID to recover/unlock your account, and if the birth dates don't match they won't do it.

Re: Tell HN: Google requiring phone number to log into Chromebook

#157

Post by [deleted] »

fencepost wrote: post #140
solarengineer wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am/was considering a Chromebook because of the lower price and the opportunity to run Linux on it

If that's what you're looking for, buy an off-lease/refurb/used business class notebook that's a few years old. On the ThinkPad side, a T450 or T450s, maybe a T440s if you're going to disable the touch pad, maybe a T430s if you're willing to go back 6-7 years but then you're really going to be looking at likely battery issues and higher weight.

[deleted]

Re: Tell HN: Google requiring phone number to log into Chromebook

#158

Post by bodi »

stijnstijn wrote: post #86
bodi wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> conspiracy theory Its a fact and works exactly as he described. Also the term conspiracy theory was created and popularized by the CIA as a function to install into the general population as a protection mechanism against their own true and active operations, which as stated, are treasonous to America and American citizens. A useful tool for you might be to become self aware of your use of the term “conspiracy theo…

> Also the term conspiracy theory was created and popularized by the CIA as a function to install into the general population as a protection mechanism against their own true and active operations, which as stated, are treasonous to America and American citizens. This is not true. The term is older, dating back to at least 1870, and was used then much in the way it is now [1]. The idea that it was coined by the CIA i…

Duly noted and interesting, thanks.

Re: Tell HN: Google requiring phone number to log into Chromebook

#159

Post by 5555624 »

jdeibele wrote: post #145
richrichardsson wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stupid "security" questions, I've started answering them like "what's your favourite colour?" - "colour" or "what was your first pet's name" - "pet". There are a few things that make me wonder if I can trust a company. Security questions, stupid password restrictions, sending me a password in plain text via email.

I used to give my real birthday. Then I kept reading about how knowing that plus your address (usually easy to find on the internet - whitepages.com, etc.) got someone a long ways toward imitating you. So I started making up birthdays but would have problems because I didn't remember them. So now I just use the epoch, which I think somebody here suggested.

I use my sister's birthday. Other than the year, it's close to mine, and I don't forget it.

Re: Tell HN: Google requiring phone number to log into Chromebook

#160

Post by Casseres »

grecy wrote: post #89
fiblye wrote: post #52

I've had this happen with gmail accounts randomly. Most of the time with computers I've been using for years on the same network. The worst occasion I've ever had was the one time I was traveling. I was getting by with only wifi and, naturally, didn't have a phone number to confirm my account with. I didn't have a number bound to my account, either, making the whole process pointless. How did I get into my account? I…

What on earth are those of us supposed to do that don't have a phone?

Fastmail. They even have a real customer service.
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