Two years ago, I got a new phone number.
Only recently have I emerged from this technology-induced quagmire.
“Thank you for your selfie video,” the automated email fromInstagramsaid.
“We received this information and it’s pending review.”
A few minutes later far too quickly for a real person to be behind it an email arrived.
“Your Information Couldn’t Be Confirmed,” the subject line said.
You mean, my face?
“We weren’t able to confirm your identity from the video you submitted,” the message said.
“you’re free to submit a new video and we’ll review it again.”
As fun as this game sounded, I had other things to take care of.
Confirming my identity became a part-time job.
Even in 2024, hackable passwords like “1234” and “password” remainedalarmingly common.
Before the pandemic, it was 35%.
Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most common.
“It’s also easy to intercept,” Rodriguez said of the method.
“SIM swapping is a really easy way to circumvent that as an attacker.”
It shows just how thoroughly our lives are tied to our phone numbers.
Unlike our fingerprints or faces, our phone number is not a permanent feature of our identity.
It’s just a sequence of digits randomly assigned to us by a cell provider when we sign up.
After all, my email address will never be reassigned.
After not hearing anything for a week, I tried again.
A few months later, Amazon let me back in.
(Instagram and Amazon did not respond to multiple requests for comment.)
To this day, I’m unable to verify my LinkedIn profile.
Of course, there’s no one to speak with to patch up the issue.
Getting locked out of social networks and online shops is extremely annoying.
There’s just one problem: ID.me ties your digital identity to your phone number.
That account, of course, was linked to my old phone number.
I could only hope that ID.me’s cybersecurity practices were more robust than its customer service operation.
(ID.me did not respond to a request for comment.)
Technology that used to promise to simplify our lives now seems to make everything more complicated.
It’s 2025 we have artificial intelligence that’s capable offorming romantic relationships.
You don’t have to take my word for it.
While I eventually got back into most of my accounts, it seems that Keith is still struggling.
Keith, if you’re out there: Your prescription is ready to pick up at Rite Aid.
John Paul Titlowis a freelance journalist who writes about technology, digital culture, travel, and mental health.
