2021-04-06 21:18:50

I’m signing up for a Reddit account and its asking for a 6 digit activation code and I don’t know how to use one.
Any help is appreciated

2021-04-06 21:43:14

Forget about that, just put in a password.

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2021-04-06 21:48:13

Just use google authenticator, its pretty simple to use

"On two occasions I have been asked [by members of Parliament!]: 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out ?' I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."    — Charles Babbage.
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2021-04-06 22:31:31

Seconded re: Google Authenticator.

No, don't just "forget about that" as @2 suggests. 2FA using an authenticator app is an extra layer of security that will only help you.

2021-04-06 22:58:11

@4, sadly, many people don't think things like HTTPS/TLS or MFA should always be used in nearly every circumstance where data is transmitted over the internet. They'll justify it to themselves in ways like: "Well, its something no one cares about, so there's no point getting a tLS certificate". Or: "Well, I'm not submitting any sensitive information, so there's no point in making the connection secure". Or: "Well, MFA is an inconvenience to me, so lets not do it and tell everyone to forget about it". There are so many people who think this way and its utterly astounding.

"On two occasions I have been asked [by members of Parliament!]: 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out ?' I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."    — Charles Babbage.
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2021-04-06 23:49:37

So what do I do now? I want to stay safe! I have never used a authenticator before. How do they work?

2021-04-07 00:53:06

@5: That's a whole different scope and off topic for this thread honestly.

@6: If the website is asking for a code, it means authenticator was set up somewhere. If not, you need to find a way to get in to your account because you've been locked out (you cannot proceed unless you provide the code.)

Once you gain access to your account, usually it's under Settings -> Security -> 2-Factor Authentication.

From there you can set up the account to authenticate using an app like Google Authenticator.

The steps are simple: just scan the bar code it displays on the screen using your authenticator app. Then when it asks for the code, go to it on your phone and enter the code it displays. The code will change every 30 seconds.

2021-04-07 00:58:16

No lol, whenever reddit says about the six digit code, you forget about that and enter a password instead.

Facts with Tom MacDonald, Adam Calhoun, and Dax
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2021-04-07 03:22:54

Yeah what GCW is saying is that Reddit asks for a 2FA code in the password form even if you haven't chosen to activate 2FA, but you can safely skip entering the code and still log in just fine.
He isn't suggesting anything about whether to use 2FA or not...

2021-04-07 06:20:15

yeah, that. It's been that way since I joined up.

Facts with Tom MacDonald, Adam Calhoun, and Dax
End racism
End division
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2021-04-07 10:41:36

make use of google authenticator.

best regards
never give up on what ever you are doing.