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I mean, it must be paranoid since it’s not a status-quo theory, but hey, us paranoid folks are people too.Īnyway, I created another account, from a different machine, on a different IP address. Needed to d/l another app, finally gave them my number, and they said “We don’t support that phone number.” One thing they insist upon, however, is that *only* a phone number will cure this wretched TOS violation. How will I correct the behavior if I have no idea what it is? If someone accessed my account without authorization, how will giving them my phone number solve, or improve the situation? How will giving them my phone number correct the behavior? They say they detected “behavior which violated their TOS”. Two days later, I got an email stating that my Microsoft Account was locked, and it could only be restored if I give them my phone number. I downloaded the app, then did nothing else with the account.
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I finally registered for a MS solely to download Nvidia Desktop, which is now solely distributed through the “Microsoft Store”. I was extremely hesitate to register for a Microsoft account, and went without for the first several months.
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I recently bought my first Windows PC in over 10 years (I’m a *nix guy). It’s 2020, and it’s now required, although in a way that some would consider to be fraudulent. The original post was written in 2015 and I’m sure it was accurate for that time. People get their accounts hacked either because they use simple passwords, access an open Wi-Fi hotspot inappropriately, or do any number of other things that put their account at risk.Īccount loss happens all the time and entering in your phone number is one additional way you can protect yourself when (not if) it ever happens to you.
#Microsoft account support phone number password
People give their account passwords to someone else who shouldn’t have the password in the first place and who then missuses it. Loss happensīut losing access to your account is a more significant problem than most people realize. If my accounts ever get stolen, I want to get access back to those accounts again. I’ve had Google and Microsoft accounts for years, but I gave both of them my cell phone number specifically for this reason. You do (and probably will) need the additional account recovery information you provided when you set up the account. I don’t need this additional recovery information.” When Google or Microsoft ask for additional recovery information, many people say, “I’m never going to forget my password. But if you do put in your correct phone number and you do need to recover the account, I think you’ll find it’s a very interesting, a very important, and a very convenient security measure. It doesn’t serve you very well, however, because if you need to recover your account, you won’t have that option. Usually, you can bypass it if there’s an option to enter it later or not at all.Įven if some system out there requires it, there’s nothing preventing you from putting in a bogus phone number. I’ve not seen a situation where it’s actually required.
That makes it an important piece of account recovery information that they can use when you run into trouble with your account. Therefore, you are the person that they can then reauthorize to gain access to that account. Why is a phone number safe? You’re the person who owns the phone and picks up when someone calls that number. Your phone number (and in particular, your cell phone number) is a piece of information that Google and Microsoft can use to restore access to your email or other account through them.įor instance, if you’ve forgotten your password, you’re locked out, or even if someone hijacked your account, Google, Microsoft, and other providers can send a text message, call you, or use your cell phone number as a way to help you prove you are who you say you are and thus are the rightful owner of the account. I do not believe that Google or Microsoft have some kind of a hidden agenda to get your phone number. People are effectively, often willingly but in some cases accidentally, decreasing their own amount of privacy – not because it’s required, but because they post private information about themselves in public forums like Facebook, Twitter, and other sites.īut in your case, I really don’t think that’s what’s going on at all.
I think a lot of people do end up giving more information perhaps than they should. Certainly, privacy is an interesting topic when you start talking about the internet.