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.
