Hi.
Currently in order to remove a 2FA authenticator from a Blizzard account, it’s required that you either,
A. send an SMS text to the phone number, or use
B. the code from within the autheticator app itself in order to remove that same 2FA.
This method isn’t really advanced because:
In probably 50% of cases when people try to remove a 2FA from an account; its because they no longer have access to the 2FA, making recovery B. of using the 2FA for recovery not work… and one of the primary reasons for
no longer having access to a 2FA is:
because you lost the phone in which the authenticator app is on… making A. the SMS text recovery method totally unhelpful.
**Telecommunication companies lobby our gaming industry including Blizzard. That is the reason for this and why there’s dirt here.
The community has been straight complaining since 2016.
**Ironically if you Google Search: “does verizon influence the gaming industry” I get a list of results filled with the Verizon company’s opinions on the topic. Click any on 5g and see what the monetary incentive is to dilute the quality of our gaming ecosphere…
The bottom line is phones are never as secure as email. The network of middlemen and imperfect programming makes it less secure:
2FA apps are often poorly designed with flaws made by programmers who don’t seem to be gamers because they don’t have the empathy to perfect the apps.
Email is decentralized, simple, and encrpyted higher tech email I.e Gmail is solid security, always was; Email used to be primary for 2FA recovery.
It needs to be put back in place, everywhere.
With an email recovery option available for removing your 2FA or updating your phone number… it’s a basic form of verification like a digitial lower-tier drivers license.
This is literally so important.
It makes Blizzard relevent, and a serious company that is modern:
-
listens to an informed player-base
-
has standard security in place for Account Recovery, on a sacred game to a lot people
Email is more secure than phone 2FA recovery.
Very simply: A. you don’t lose an email [I’m not the only Person who loses phones?] and B. it’s totally Free?
I’m requesting Blizzard mods to put up for question to management:
and re-iterating: to add in addition to the SMS and 2FA option for 2FA removal, and basic recovery services [such as phone number updating … ]:
an email option for recovering your 2FA.
It’s so simple, harmless, and the correct solution in this situation to a serious problem that makes me not really want to play. Have any mods wanted to do anything about the persisting 2FA issues. It’s been at least 6yrs hahahaha
It’s also the base level of security in our society that’s been stripped from company’s like Blizzard and Steam, as Telecommnications Lobbying somehow is effective, since the security experts at company’s themselves are…living their best lives.
** it doesn’t make any basic sense to anyone with an understanding of security to not have email recovery for 2FA removal and phone removal [instead of SMS and 2FA options ONLY for recovery of phone change or unsecured 2FA app: Lobbying.
They’re both on phones … mostly Apple … and at that mostly Verizon probably.]
Including most of the player base: actually wants email recovery
tacking on email option to 2FA removal allow player’s to reset it for themselves in 2 seconds; And You keep your email secure!
so if you lose your phone or don’t have a phone, which some people can’t enhance their security because they don’t have phones [1%?]
or being locked out of the 2FA app itself [the apps have flaws]
email is Decentalized. for the phone company’s it isn’t as good for cash-flow and use-cases for their products, unfortunately, so you might Really want to take their feelings and expertise into account as well, of course.