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Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

discuss.privacyguides.net

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Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#171

Post by dotancohen »

Griffinsauce wrote: post #163
Aboutplants wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It follows the same logic as physical junk mail. We accept the fact that we will receive junk mailers in our physical mailbox and just toss them out.

In the Netherlands you put a sticker on your mail box with either of these: - NO ads, NO magazines/papers - NO ads, YES magazines/papers Some municipalities even make it opt-in so you'd need YES/YES to get mail without a name and address on it. (ie. not direct mail) There are also laws to enable opting out of direct mail (with name and address). In effect, junk mail is just gone once you slap a sticker on your mailbo…

What jurisdiction is responsible for regulating my, Israeli, email "sticker compliance" when using Gmail, American, and the sender is in Romania?

Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#172

Post by dotancohen »

xp84 wrote: post #138
mminer237 wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a big difference between advertising your services and trying to literally steal people's money.

This is an underrated distinction. Sadly, the line is so much more blurred now than even when I was a kid in the 90s. There are so many businesses now which exist mainly to cheat you, operating at the very edge of what’s technically legal, and relying on their customers not really understanding the full terms of the deals they’re agreeing to. It’s sickening.

Can you post an example? Thank you.

Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#173

Post by b40d-48b2-979e »

DANmode wrote: post #133
croes wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To enter their phone number because you sent an SMS to them. So if there are any costs for sending this SMS it’s on you.

There weren’t any infrastructure costs to sending the first SMS ever, there shouldn’t be any remaining for the consumer today unless you’re a real unfortunate soul.

    There weren’t any infrastructure costs to sending the first SMS ever,
Hah. Someone wasn't alive for the 90s.

Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#174

Post by harrall »

traviswingo wrote: post #48
torben-friis wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spam is getting horrible lately. I get all sorts of new techniques including: - using legitimate sites to bypass filters, like sending you a bill through a legitimate bill-creation site - pretending to be a tracking service for something you supposedly ordered, then over the course of days pretending the package got lost on the way and offering a discount code for the 'purchased' amount, expecting you to use it on th…

I can’t prove it, but it feels like the world recently decided that spamming/scamming is acceptable, so the number of spammers/scammers has increased dramatically. The number of spam calls, texts, emails, iCloud account unlock requests, etc I’ve received in the last year is insane.

New tools like LLMs probably make previously unscalable techniques scalable.

Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#175

Post by dotancohen »

mghackerlady wrote: post #42
Aurornis wrote: post #23

> Supposedly, using the QR code on the smartphone triggers an SMS sent from your phone to Google in order to verify your phone number. Does anyone have a better source of information than this one forum comment from someone who thinks scanning a QR code is enough to get your phone to send a text message? EDIT: It’s just an SMS URI. It doesn’t automatically send anything, just opens a text message for you to send. Thi…

What happens when your phone can't do that? I use a flip phone. It can't scan QR codes despite having a camera

My S24 Ultra no longer has rear cameras, they no longer work after the phone fell from a table. I can not scan QR codes either.

So many companies - such as electric car charging stations - require this without considering failure modes and alternative workflows.

Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#176

Post by sowbug »

saltcured wrote: post #129
guidedlight wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They should probably go back to the original invite only flow they used when Gmail launched. Every account having the ability to invite an only small finite number of new accounts is one way to thwart scammers.

Not without some kind of delay function and probably filtering/evaluation of which new accounts get this capability... Everyone here should be familiar with exponential growth of n-ary trees. If you can get one of these accounts and each new invitee gets to invite 2 more, you can already have accounts gone wild.

If it's a tree, it's easier to prune an entire branch that's gone bad.

Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#177

Post by Night_Thastus »

People complain a lot about Gmail, but honestly I kind of understand Google's plight here.

They've essentially gotten roped into maintaining a huge chunk of internet infrastructure, for free. If they ever shut it down the whole world would end up rioting because it's so widely used.

But it's expensive, complicated and time-consuming to maintain - and both a source of and recipient of endless waves of spam and scams. It's an endless pile of data to hold onto, FOREVER, as well.

I enjoy hating on Google when appropriate. But when it comes to Gmail, I understand what they're dealing with.

It's honestly why I believe the idea of free e-mail is just bad, fundamentally. You can't expect a free e-mail service to be good or have any kind of support. The fact that it still exists is more out of shear fear of the repercussions than any good will on the owner's part.

Just get a paid e-mail service. They're better, and offer a lot more peace of mind.

Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#178

Post by nzeid »

Night_Thastus wrote: post #177

People complain a lot about Gmail, but honestly I kind of understand Google's plight here. They've essentially gotten roped into maintaining a huge chunk of internet infrastructure, for free . If they ever shut it down the whole world would end up rioting because it's so widely used. But it's expensive, complicated and time-consuming to maintain - and both a source of and recipient of endless waves of spam and scams.…

> They've essentially gotten roped into maintaining a huge chunk of internet infrastructure, for free. If they ever shut it down the whole world would end up rioting because it's so widely used.

Not even remotely true. They regularly shut down products and services with impunity. If Gmail cost more than the data they directly or indirectly mine and sell from their users, Gmail wouldn't exist either.

Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#179

Post by testudovictoria »

traviswingo wrote: post #48
torben-friis wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Spam is getting horrible lately. I get all sorts of new techniques including: - using legitimate sites to bypass filters, like sending you a bill through a legitimate bill-creation site - pretending to be a tracking service for something you supposedly ordered, then over the course of days pretending the package got lost on the way and offering a discount code for the 'purchased' amount, expecting you to use it on th…

I can’t prove it, but it feels like the world recently decided that spamming/scamming is acceptable, so the number of spammers/scammers has increased dramatically. The number of spam calls, texts, emails, iCloud account unlock requests, etc I’ve received in the last year is insane.

In addition, it feels like the past 5 years have brought on more marketing spam. I've been slowly reappearing onto marketing lists that I either never signed up for or unsubscribed from. They're coming from legitimate companies that I've done business with.

Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#180

Post by mikestew »

aboardRat4 wrote: post #108
throwa356262 wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If this is with a new android phone, return it and let the manufacturer know why you couldn't use the phone.

If he had this phone for 15 years, I bet it's not bound to a phone, it's bound to a sim card.

Phone number, it’s not tied to any piece of HW because is portable. I’ve had the same phone number equally as long, but I’ve transferred it to multiple devices over the years.
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