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Alternatives to MSN+Verizon Wireless?
a.h.s. boy asks: "I took a little visit to my usually-neglected Verizon Wireless online account site today, and found myself greeted with the following message: 'Attention This site will not be available for use after October 2002. Please go to http://vzw.msn.com to set up a profile and start using our new VZW with MSN portal.' And now what does it take to login to my wireless phone site? That's right, .NET Passport account. I want one of those like I want a hole in my bedroom wall, however I really do want the convenience of getting my phone information online. I'm sure more and more sites are going to start requiring .NET passports for access, and even if I use bogus information for the Passport, it's still tied to my (quite non-bogus) cell phone records, isn't it? I already sent mail off to the Executive Office of Verizon Wireless to complain, but I can't imagine they're going to care what I think. What are others doing to work around the growing need for a Passport account?" For current customers of Verizon wireless, the question basically boils down to: "Should I stay or should I go?". For those opting for the latter, based on this latest twist, are there other cell-phone companies offering similar features to Verizon's service?
Put simply, for an ID service that is expected to be used as an umbrella authentication for a lot of web services, Passport's security seems rather lax. Which is exactly what you do not want when it comes to privacy on the web.
So don't use VZW for things that need to be secure. You shouldn't be anyway.
Especially considering that Verizon already had a system in place for their wireless customers.
They were using Infospace, who was charging them money. Most likely much more money than Microsoft.
If you use .net Passport to log in to your phone account, it means your phone account is linked to the Passport, and so all sorts of interesting data mining could be possible between your phone calls, your passport account and your use of other Passport sites.
Well, your phone account is only linked to Passport if Microsoft is committing outright fraud. Personally I trust Microsoft as much as Verizon, in that I doubt either would do this data mining, but if they did, it wouldn't be that big of a deal.
Frankly, it feels more than a little creepy to me. They will, of course, SAY they don't do anything like this, but just the fact that it's technically possible makes my skin crawl.
It's always been technically possible. .NET doesn't change any of that.
If it ever happened the credibility that Microsoft lost would far outweigh any gains. It's simply not in Microsoft's best interests to gather this data when they come right out and say they aren't.
Finally, SFW. I don't care if the whole world knows everything I do on VZW.