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*While the social engineering concern is a valid one, I suspect that Google's original reasons for not providing support were not opsec related. Google's 2FA s

by dereg 4y ago

*While the social engineering concern is a valid one, I suspect that Google's original reasons for not providing support were not opsec related. Google's 2FA system combined with their lack of support terrifies me as a security-literate user. Here's one example: I was traveling and signed into Google from a new location. Google prompted me to verify myself via two-factor auth, and the only method they allowed me to verify by was by opening up the Google app on my iPhone and by confirming the provided number. I tapped "try another way", and gone was the option to verify via authenticator app. I'm lucky that I had my phone on hand but I was dumbstruck. What if I lost my phone? I'd be screwed, locked out of my account with no way to fix it, even after following the best security practice of enabling 2FA via authenticator app, because Google took it upon themselves to say "screw your choice of security, open our app on the phone" (also, thereby coercing me to link my two devices to my ip address/location for analytics/targeting reasons, I'm guessing). I could have done everything right and still gotten locked out of my account.

cevn 4y ago
The same thing happened to me. Eventually I was randomly allowed in, no idea how.
b112 4y ago
Google does nothing, nothing!, without it being an attempt to track you. And the golden of tracking, is your real id and real location. Even if the initial push for 2fa was security, by dev#1, you can be positive dev#2, 3, 4, xxx, 100 came running, and thought "tracking". Google owes everything it is, to being the sleaziest, sneakiest, slymiest company they can be. If the internet is an information highway, google is a van, stopping, and asking your kids if they want candy. Were google a business in your physical neighborhood, tracking people as they do, they'd end up with a molotov cocktail through their window. No one would abide such behaviour, but the average Joe has no idea, and cannot understand, and thus, does no object. Google is doing to our society, what the new settlers to North America did to Native Americans. Offer them beads, and plets, in exchange for riches, using our own ignorance against us. Google is a primay example of the "slippery slope". They were given an inch, and they took us out back, and beat us with a 2×4. If you trust your business to google, you're nuts. And to the comment I replied to, yes, it is all for tracking. Edit: yes OK I admit I don't like Google, just to ensure my bias is clear.

by dereg 4y ago

cevn 4y ago

The same thing happened to me. Eventually I was randomly allowed in, no idea how.

b112 4y ago

Google does nothing, nothing!, without it being an attempt to track you. And the golden of tracking, is your real id and real location. Even if the initial push for 2fa was security, by dev#1, you can be positive dev#2, 3, 4, xxx, 100 came running, and thought "tracking". Google owes everything it is, to being the sleaziest, sneakiest, slymiest company they can be. If the internet is an information highway, google is a van, stopping, and asking your kids if they want candy. Were google a business in your physical neighborhood, tracking people as they do, they'd end up with a molotov cocktail through their window. No one would abide such behaviour, but the average Joe has no idea, and cannot understand, and thus, does no object. Google is doing to our society, what the new settlers to North America did to Native Americans. Offer them beads, and plets, in exchange for riches, using our own ignorance against us. Google is a primay example of the "slippery slope". They were given an inch, and they took us out back, and beat us with a 2×4. If you trust your business to google, you're nuts. And to the comment I replied to, yes, it is all for tracking. Edit: yes OK I admit I don't like Google, just to ensure my bias is clear.