It’s an odd thing to say, but I’ve considering -not- paying bills, banking, etc online anymore. Why? Security Questions. My bank account just made me add some, and I’ve been struggling with Sallie Mae for some time, having had to reset my account twice since they’ve added security questions and not before. I suppose it’s not as bad as how Key Bank liked to ask my debit card and pin for security verification. If there was anything to not entire into a web site, I think a debit card pin would be near the top of the list.

Worst of the security questions is they require exact answers. Gone are the days of “what is your mothers maiden name”, instead we have “What is the street your favorite residence is on?”. How the hell do I remember if it’s “26th” or “26th Ave” or just “26” or some other combination? Name of my first teacher? Which one?

The solution? I use a password as the answer to all security questions now. Where’s the version of Dell IdeaStorm that applies to the web on the whole? How long is it going to take until the increase in support calls to reset accounts makes web sites realize this is the worst idea I’ve seen to date? Meh.