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Tell HN: Google requiring phone number to log into Chromebook

news.ycombinator.com

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

#161

Post by binomialxenon »

kaybe wrote: post #99
dingaling wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't use smartphones This has nothing to do with smartphones. Last week I decided to create a Youtube account as their premium, ad-free service is now available in the UK. All was going well on my laptop until I hit the page demanding a phone number. Any number, smart or dumb. Not having a burner-SIM to hand I just closed the tab.

Do these services take landline numbers as well?

Most phone verifications that I've seen do work with a landline. They call you and a text-to-speech bot reads you a code.

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

#162

Post by pasbesoin »

vezycash wrote: post #94
Guest9812398 wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a Gmail account for a secondary email address that I used at times. One day I logged in with my email and password, and Google said I needed to further verify my identity. Well, my security question was a bogus one because I was confident with my password manager and backups it would not be needed. But, I guess I was wrong, because I didn't anticipate that knowing the password wouldn't be enough for Google. I n…

Next time, add your security questions to your password manager.

Security Q/A are de facto passwords. Treat accordingly.

Further, they're often a sign that a human employee providing support can override and manually authenticate a user. Whether or not that is really the correct user. Treat your entire account with them accordingly.

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

#163

Post by anticensor »

Symbiote wrote: post #66
johnchristopher wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They closed that loophole in Europe after the terrorist attacks of recent years. You can't buy pre-paid SIM cards without giving an ID anymore.

Please don't generalize about Europe unless you're certain the statement is true. You can buy a SIM card in a vending machine in at least airports in Denmark and the UK.

Throwaway SIMs are unavailable and foreign throwaway ones do not work in Turkey.

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

#164

Post by dang »

toxik wrote: post #76
greenhatman wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

No. Why would you spread lies like that?

Please don't argue like this on HN. You can correct misinformation without being aggressive or personal about it.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

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

#166

Post by 013a »

I'd suggest filing a public report to their support on Twitter phrased something like "services inaccessible to underprivileged users", that should trigger enough keywords for their AI managed support to notice. Be sure to get as many quantifiable likes, retweets, upvotes, etc as possible, as that is all data which is used to increase the internal score of the report in their system. Once its been elevated to a human, as rare as that is, play the victim; you're not from the West Coast, so you don't know the West Coast ways, but play the victim, get support behind you, and your issue will be resolved within a week. Good luck!

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

#167

Post by sdinsn »

cm2187 wrote: post #37
emerongi wrote: post #6

They've essentially bricked your machine and are demanding your phone number to un-brick it? Sounds like a case for a legal battle.

Sonos just did the same. They want you to create an account (and therefore give them an email) and otherwise are effectively bricking the device in the latest update. Was time to get rid of this pos.

An email is waaay different than a phone number. You can easily just use a burner email- but using a burner phone is too much work and costly.

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

#168

Post by dplgk »

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…

Did Google ask again for a phone number when you tried to log in from the strangers phone?

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

#169

Post by johnchristopher »

Symbiote wrote: post #66
johnchristopher wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They closed that loophole in Europe after the terrorist attacks of recent years. You can't buy pre-paid SIM cards without giving an ID anymore.

Please don't generalize about Europe unless you're certain the statement is true. You can buy a SIM card in a vending machine in at least airports in Denmark and the UK.

Indeed, I thought it was a European directive.

I am willing to bet the vast majority of European countries will follow suit before 5 years though.

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

#170

Post by RetardedKumars »

pas wrote: post #135
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…

ProtonMail doesn't require a phone number either for registration.

This is not entirely correct. Sometimes protonmail requires a phone number to send an auth code when you sign up. It randomly happens when you use Tor/VPN. Sometimes it's another email address. In very rare cases is just a google captcha, which itself is still tor unfriendly. Please don't spread false information.
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