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Re: [LUG] OK so whats wrong with it?

 

Tom Potts wrote:
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6339813.stm
> Just as I was beginning to think this was perhaps workable M$ support it - I 
> cant help but feeling somethings wrong...
> Tom te tom te tom
>
>
>   
One basic flaw that immediately comes to mind:

By reducing the number of security mechanisms people use, you also 
reduce the number of mechanisms that need to be breached by a hacker to 
blow the whole lot apart.  It actually reduces security IMHO, not 
increases it.

Also:

By 'web address' I assume they mean domain or website?  That's clever - 
what about the millions whose only webspace is with their ISP?  They 
don't own it, and if they're proposing that ISPs share customer details 
with them then the DPA will jump all over that at light speed.  No way 
I'd be happy with my ISP sharing my details with a third 
party,especially one Microsoft has a hand in.

My domain is actually in my name, my brother's however is in the name of 
the hosting company who registered it.  Same argument against asking 
them to share customer information.

If however, by 'web address' they actually mean 'email address' then 
that is even worse.  Any idiot can type in the email address of an 
acquaintance and pretend to be them, it's not rocket science.  Using my 
brother again as an example, his email address used to be 
firstname.surname@xxxxxxx - but it had previously been owned by someone 
else leading to issues with being unable to unsubscribe from some 
services.  Also I keep getting email intended for an idiot who keeps 
giving MY email address out as his... I *think* he keeps missing the 1 
after julian.hall.  If he did that for this service, we would both have 
problems.

This idea is just pandering to people who don't have the intelligence to 
remember usernames and passwords.  Maybe I'm being too harsh, but I 
think that's tough - learn to remember them!

Kind regards,

Julian

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