On 2024-01-15 09:32, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk wrote:
| From: o1bigtenor via talk<talk@gtalug.org>
| > I have never used a cellphone to accesshttps://chat.openai.com -- this is where I signed up for free and later where I upgraded to Plus. The process to register is quite easy, I don't quite understand the issues you and Kevin are having.
| One doesn't use a cell phone (well I wouldn't) but a cellphone number | is demanded to | verify one's identity. Without a working cellphone connection one is | today - - - a NON-person.
This is "two-factor authentication" (often called 2FA). Also known as MFA for Multi Factor Authentication. Where factors are >1 but I have never seen it >2.
Lots and lots of things require it. And then assume that that number is a good way to contact you. Grrr.
SMS is not a great second factor. Especially in the cases where there is no first factor.
A related issue: places that ask my phone number and then assume it works for SMS. My phone number dates back more than forty years and it is a landline (no SMS). When we first got VOIP and SMS on our home line it was supprising to see
Well at that point SMS would be the first factor. the services that were doing things like appointment notifications using that number. SMS does have a way to provide delivery notifications but nobody would make use of that because of all the non-SMS landlines out there.
The thing is that the world has changed faster than some of us have adjusted. I feel that way about many things; at least Flash is gone.
The level of technical knowledge required to protect yourself now days has gone way up. It use to be that your bank tellers knew you and if you did not want to get robbed you locked your doors. Either you had cash in your pocket or were in a position to write a cheque and living beyond your means ware hard to do. Now we have multiple credit cards, bank cards, crypto accounts all of which can be scammed/hacked/stolen. If your not careful someone can sell your house and you won't know about it till the new owners show up. Generally life is much better but it has come at a cost. -- Alvin Starr || land: (647)478-6285 Netvel Inc. || Cell: (416)806-0133 alvin@netvel.net ||