Sunday 19 May 2013

Google Blocker

This morning Google blocked me from my own blog, due to attempted sign-ins by third parties from foreign parts. London Art News must be getting popular! Two thirds of my readers are in America. Google asked for my telephone number in order to give me a code to validate my own sign-in. As soon as I clicked on my telephone number, the phone rang with the validation code. I was quite impressed. Not only had Google detected the third-party attempts to hijack my blog, but also had swiftly given me the solution.

posted by Unknown @ 19.5.13   4 comments

4 Comments:

At 22/5/13, Anonymous Kris said...

Don't publish this comment Ian.

May I suggest you modify your blog so you don't reveal your phone number is a Google validation key. Unless you are very confident no one could know it.

Kris

 
At 22/5/13, Blogger Unknown said...

Hi, Kris

Thanks for the advice.

My telephone number isn't the validation code. Google phoned me to give me a validation code. I went ex-directory yonks ago and also phoned that number which blocks cold calls. The latter doesn't work very well, because most of the telephone calls I get are from call centres in India! In fact anyone who phones me is more likely to be told to "Piss off!" than to receive a cheery greeting.

I was suspicious when Google first warned me that there had been an attempt to sign into my blog from a computer in foreign parts, because warning you that you have a virus on your computer and asking you to reset your password is one of the oldest tricks in the book. There were 4 attempts in a week. Google sent me an email each time. Then Google blocked me from my blog, so I had no choice but to follow Google's instructions. Nothing untoward has appeared on my blog since.

I thought other bloggers might like to know of Google's diligence in protecting its bloggers. I've been blogging for 7 years and this situation was a novelty to me.

 
At 22/5/13, Anonymous Kris said...

Yes - I realised my illogical thinking after I hit the send key :-)

 
At 22/5/13, Blogger Unknown said...

Never mind, Kris. The thought was there.

 

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