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Apple Drops Recovery Key From Two-Factor Authentication In New OS Versions
eggboard writes: If you've ever turned on what's now called "two-step verification" for an Apple ID, you had to create a Recovery Key. Lose this 14-digit code and have your password reset (because of hacking attempts against you), and you might lose access forever to purchases and data, as Owen Williams almost did. Apple confirmed today that starting with its public betas of OS X 10.11 and iOS 9, two-factor authentication won't have a Recovery Key. Instead, if you have to reset a password or lose access to devices, you'll have to go through an account verification process with human beings.
Nobody mentioned encryption except you.
There's a reason why it's called "two factor authentication" rather than "two factor encryption".
Furthermore, I wouldn't trust those Apple "geniuses." They are utterly clueless and unhelpful. I recently had to call in to get some help because someone else had somehow managed to open a new account using my email address instead of theirs (ours were similar). Apparently there's no email verification before they can use it for an account. Anyways, I kept getting bombed with email intended for him so I reset the password on the account (since I'm in control of the email, this was easy) and noticed he had set his actual email as the recovery email--which I could not remove nor edit in any way, meaning he could then reset the password too. Point is, I either wanted them to remove my email from the account, or remove his recovery email from it, and the "geniuses" I had talked to couldn't seem to understand that simple request. In the end, their best advice was, "I don't know. Just deal with it I guess? There's nothing we can do." So, here we are still, both of us still have access to this account and neither of us can do anything about it.
Great customer support.