Play Flight Simulator without a phone number

Discussion Hub General Discussion
1

Hello !

Microsoft suddenly asks me to provide a phone number to play the game, “for my security”.
How can I play the game without giving my phone number away ?

FS - Copie
FS - Copie1594×855 1.22 MB

I know it’s an American company and they have to Prism user data and contacts to the NSA, but I don’t want to give that.
Also, the hardware requirements for FS2020 didn’t include a phone. And I don’t think requiring this to play a game is very GDPR compliant, all the more since it’s personally identifiable data, and I didn’t agree to this when I bought the game or created the Microsoft account.

It’s outrageous how these company just force you to hand over your data.
It’s like Google that requires you to accept tracking to go on YouTube from a private tab.
(I had to go to Deezer, Reddit and Prime instead)

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2

It is for the purpose of two factor authentication, not ‘the nsa’.

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3

let me get my Yubikey, I’ll see if I can enable 2FA from that, without a phone
thanks

4

Do you have two-step verification ON in your Microsoft account?
https://account.microsoft.com/security?fref=home.card.security&refd=account.microsoft.com

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5

You’re giving away so much more information so much more often everytime you turn your phone on :smiley:

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6

You can use my number, it is 867-5309

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7

Oh, nvm, you can just set an email address for recovery. (by clicking on the line with “a phone number”, and it opens a drop down menu so that you select email)
it takes about 30 seconds, and was pretty basic.

Thanks and sorry for wasting your time

And I disabled most non android app on my phone, and use F-Droid to get my apps, so that’s a bit more ok (even if it’s a pain when apps require the google play services)

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8

Don’t forget it is the country which listen to the world thanks to NSA (with the help of UK)

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9

I think with playing this game we’ve already given up everything.

They know where we fly, how often we fly, how many hours we fly, how good or bad we fly, how often we crash, and how serious we are as a pilot (“Is he again forgetting the flaps??”).

Post covid I think airliners will be interested in your flight sim history when you go for a pilot job interview.

Be aware… don’t mess this up if you’re aiming for a career in the industry!

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10

GCHQ. We’re doing our part. :+1:

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