I Have Lost Access to Facebook

Facebook’s new security protocol is so extreme that I have essentially lost access to my Facebook page forever.

I had the temerity to log in from an “unfamiliar location”—aka, not my home. I was asked to complete a Captcha (no problem). Then my troubles began: I was presented with seven photos and asked to identify who was in each of them. You can only gain access to your Facebook page if you get at least five out of seven right.

This is where I should admit that I don’t know most of my Facebook “friends” by sight. Mostly they’re fans. So I can’t identify three out of seven, much less five out of seven. I’ve tried this several times, and failed each time.

I don’t understand this. What’s the point of a password if you can’t use it to access your account wherever you happen to be? This seems like a weird throwback to landline telephones, where you can only place a call if you’re at home—oh, wait, they had payphones. I can access email, Twitter, any number of other services from other places. Why not Facebook?

A word to the wise: if you’re a Facebook slut who friends a lot of people, don’t log in from anywhere other than home. Otherwise, say goodbye to your own page.

14 Comments.

  • […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Tony Finch and OurManInAbiko, Ted Rall. Ted Rall said: New blog post: I Have Lost Access to Facebook http://rall.com/2010/07/19/i-have-lost-access-to-facebook […]

  • flashsays.com
    July 19, 2010 9:22 AM

    How does that work – are they showing profile pics, or ones where people have been tagged? Either way it’s flawed. A lot of my friends’ profile pics are their pet or their small child, and others are those of celebrities. And some people will tag each other in photos to try and get them to look at the picture – I was recently tagged in a picture of artwork, not my artwork but the artist wanted me to have a look. There’s no way you could expect me to guess correctly.

    In fact many of my friends are geeks who I know from mailing lists – I know them well enough to chat on twitter and facebook, but we’ve never met face to face, so I can’t identify them on sight in any case.

    There is a further problem – one of my facebook friends is blind. I’m not sure how she would cope, unless Facebook provides ALT text of the photo with each person’s name in it?

    I can’t see this system lasting.

  • This has happened to a lot of my friends and sometimes the issue clears itself up. Don’t be so dramatic, Ted. None of my friends have lost access to their account for more than a few days from this.

    ~~~~DRAMA~~~~

  • Sure. We can always trust the marketplace.

  • What has THIS got to do with THAT? Ted…sometimes I wonder if you’re just off your meds.

  • You get what you pay for.

  • Why don’t you just access Facebook when you get back home? That doesn’t sound like “forever” to me unless you moved away or something.

  • ~~~DRAMA~~~~~~ *Jazz Hands!!!!*

  • for….EVER…Albert….FOREVER…like when Edward fangs you in the neck!!!!!

  • The Rev. Mr. Smith
    July 20, 2010 9:07 PM

    Guess it’s time to go back to the ‘space.

    I’m so glad I never joined Facebook.

  • Marion Delgado
    July 21, 2010 6:32 PM

    If we don’t protect our core functionality like Facebook, the terrorists win. I checked this “Ted Rall” fellow out and found that some of his signals are coming … FROM AFGHANISTAN. Nice catch, Facebook. All patriots salute you.

    The fact that that’s nuts is irrelevant. If we insist on sanity and logic, the terrorists win. I hope wherever Ted is, he’s shopping and hugging.

  • Sure. We can always trust the marketplace.

    Aggie, that was Rall being thoughtful, factual and oh-so-rational.

  • Boy, it sure is a relief that there are some leftists like Aggie who are not total kooks, like you-know-whom!

  • Bucephalus, I’m not a leftist, I’m a agri-theological socialist

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