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

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

#381

Post by xboxnolifes »

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.

Every single day since around the start of the year I get at least 1 text with the content of roughly: "FROM TRUMP: You could be the next winner of this PRIZE/MONEY!", "Click here to receive your $10,000 tariff refund!", "DEMOCRATS are trying to DESTROY EVERYTHING!". Plus I get almost daily calls that immediately hang up, and leave a 30 second voicemail with no audio.

I've always had some level of political spam, usually only close to voting months, but this year has been the worst for me.

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

#382

Post by hn_acc1 »

MichaelRo wrote: post #316
redserk wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They've essentially gotten roped into maintaining a huge chunk of internet infrastructure, for free. I’ll stop you here. Google offered it for free and, at the time, offered such an high amount of mail storage for free it sounded insane. At the time, my ISP gave me a 25MB or 50MB inbox and that was considered pretty decent, when Google was trying to get people in with 1-2GB. They absolutely have a right to take ant…

> They've essentially gotten roped into maintaining a huge chunk of internet infrastructure, for free. This argument would have flown 30 years ago with Yahoo. Since then we had Uber pumping so much money into a losing business until it drew the competition bankrupt. And now we have AI pumping so much money into a losing business until they hopefully replicate Uber, only won't work and signs are all over the wall that…

I find your views interesting and wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

No really - got more ideas about "Don't be evil. FOR REAL"?

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

#383

Post by aetherspawn »

I get like 33 and a half million spam messages per day to my Shopify store, all bots using Gmail addresses.

Google really need to get it together. Their sender reputation bypasses all the normal spam filters, but if it was up to me…

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

#384

Post by lovich »

whywhywhywhy wrote: post #181
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…

> pretending to be a tracking service for something you supposedly ordered There’s a leak or someone is selling the data in a lot of the delivery companies in my country. I order something then without fail the fake text message pretending to be the delivery service. Only thing they screw up is claiming it’s failed to deliver too soon and the weird urls. Messed up these companies are either selling it or being irresp…

Seems to be involved with government services too. I signed up for a welfare program that had me input all my data before denying me the service a few months ago, and the next day I started receiving spam calls and texts using some unique pieces of information that I had submitted in that form.

Called my state senators to complain about it and ask for assistance. Enjoyed the complete lack of follow through.

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

#385

Post by jjordan »

benoliver999 wrote: post #246
redserk wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They've essentially gotten roped into maintaining a huge chunk of internet infrastructure, for free. I’ll stop you here. Google offered it for free and, at the time, offered such an high amount of mail storage for free it sounded insane. At the time, my ISP gave me a 25MB or 50MB inbox and that was considered pretty decent, when Google was trying to get people in with 1-2GB. They absolutely have a right to take ant…

I remember in the early days you could watch your storage quota go up in real time.

Back when Google was still fun and innovating. Enshittification consumes all.

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

#386

Post by ekianjo »

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.…

> huge chunk of internet infrastructure, for free

for free? I guess tracking you to death and shoving ads down your throat does not count as monetizing anymore then?

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

#387

Post by n64controller »

shevy-java wrote: post #216

Now people only need to connect this to age sniffing and the global corporate-driven movement to destroy and abolish VPNs. Politicians are no longer working for the people but their own money - aka by definition these are lobbyists. Note that "scanning a QR code and sending a text message" means, for the most part, a smartphone. One could do so via a tablet too, I suppose, but most who register will do so via their s…

Have you got something to hide ?

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

#388

Post by walrus01 »

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.

You have a point, but if you've ever seen how a gmail account behaves for the ordinary person once it reaches 80-90% storage capacity used (15GB free, some cumulative total of all emails and google drive content, google photos content), all of these free services exist to sell a perpetual monthly recurring subscription to users. And many people do pay. The default gmail web interface starts to have a big banner across the top warning about storage reaching maximum capacity with a link to the payment page.

Look at the workflow for a standard out of box android phone now that defaults to backing up all your photos to 'the cloud', which will almost immediately fill the 15GB free. Once your 15GB is full, then you're run through the payment/checkout workflow to enter your card and set up monthly recurring billing for some premium google service.

In general having a gmail account is the initial stage in the pipeline of getting someone to be a monthly-paid google customer for life. Whether it's just for more storage to hold all their google drive and photo content, or google workspace individual, etc.

Additionally, tying a gmail account to the primary-user android on-device account on any android 4.x+ device means revenue from google play store paid app sales. And then all those 'free' apps that the user installs where the app developer has implemented embedded small ad banners for google's ad network? More venue.

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

#389

Post by [deleted] »

idle_zealot wrote: post #280
motbus3 wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah! I can't believe people know basics about cartels, trusts and dumping.

It does feel like a lot of very intelligent people here basically start at a first principles belief in property rights, and discover or dispute all of the rights and protections put in place over centuries to patch up the issues that occur when that philosophy meets reality. It reflects poorly on our education systems that these apparently weren't covered or were unconvincing when presented. Or maybe it's just a ref…

[deleted]

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

#390

Post by thebytefairy »

dakolli wrote: post #349
petu wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But it's only for receiving and you still need external mail server/address?

https://developers.cloudflare.com/email-service/get-started/...

This is not really an 'email service' the average person can be expected to use..
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