Then go to buy a storage box, and I get this;
> Our automated system check indicates that your account information has an increased level of risk. Please choose one of the following verification methods:
And you can pay 20 EUR up front by PayPal, or hand over your passport (fat chance!)
Is this genuine, or does everyone get this and it's a fake reason?
(I've signed up to pay by bank transfer, so I'm also wondering why they don't ask me for pre-payment by bank transfer. As it is, no way on God's clean earth they get a passport, and I'm not on Paypal, so will try to use a friend's, but seems my second try to board Hetzner train has bounced - first time I left almost immediately, when I saw spaces not permitted in passwords.)
1. You replied here, and stated and reasonably and rationally Hetzner's case. That's excellent.
2. I emailed Hetz two days ago, explained the situation (passport a no-no, friend has PP, but I'm signed up with bank transfer so could I just use that).
Hetz replied saying account has now been enabled and I'm good to go.
Also excellent.
3. The observations in this reply about passport - if you've been hacked and not noticed yet, all passports passing through your hands are being exfiltrated (assuming attackers cares about them, of course). You'd only realize how long its being going on for once the breach is detected. I'm not worried about what you are going to use it for, I trust you - the concern is that security is basically impossible and everyone gets breached sooner or later. There's nothing you or any organization can say or do to ameliorate this concern. The basic ground working assumption is : everyone is hacked, if not already, then sooner or later, and it won't be noticed for some time. Given that, how do we behave? what do we do? how do we act? obviously, identity via passports is off the menu.
Finally, there's no info during sign about about passport document being held only for a short time; seems potentially useful to have that.
Fortunately they offer other option(s), which it seems you made use of. So you're all good.
A different user may have different priorities, and may choose a different option.
Which is fine. Options are good. There's no requirement that you have to like the ones you don't use.
Isn't that what every company says before a data breach proves otherwise? I've been hearing a lot about Hetzner, thought about trying it out, but if the service is requiring me to submit a passport or even any form of ID, then absolutely not. Your service is dead to me.
Feel free to use a different option.
1. Paypal 2. Passport
I do not have Paypal, and would not do passport.
That's fine - Hetzner's business belongs to them. I did not criticize that no options could be viable; only that passport was an option that should not be in use.
[1] https://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1810197&p=10...
I've seen, or I think I've seen, AWS and Twitter giving completely fake "security" reasons for eliciting additional information. I made an account on Twitter, did nothing with it at all, next day was told I violated the T&C and needed to prove my identity by handing over phone number.
So I'm cagey about this sort of thing. Obviously, actual real security concerns are a good thing to see, people are thinking about the issue and taking care, and asking for validation is naturally what you do and it's better than a flat no. OTOH, passport is BS - solves their security risk but gives me a security risk.
There's some other specific character besides spaces that's also not permitted in passwords. It's a normal printable ascii character but I can't remember what it is any more, and sometimes it's not caught. Let's hope nobody signs up with it by mistake.
Using a friend's paypal will get you banned for sure.
Why not just provide the passport if you want to use their service, jf that's their requirement.
No problem for Hetzner, and it solves their authentication problem. Big problem for me.
That you know of.
One can also say the same about smoking cigarettes.
"I smoked all day long for ten years and nothing bad happened!"
Personally, I tried to set up account with them in the past, fully being aware of their reputation, because of one service I wanted to use. But after I registered and gave them my payment card details, all fully legit, they blocked the account and I never had a chance to use them. So my own personal opinion is that they can pound sand and experiences of other people should not be ignored and you should definitely not risk putting your data or your business reputation into their hands. There are MUCH better providers in Europe that. Again, I have no idea why people even give Hetzner a chance nowadays.
I've seen complaints about servers disappearing without warning.
I've also seen people say they're completely happy.
It seems to me Hetz have good pricing, and technically what seems to be a superior product. I was put off by lack of spaces in passwords (trivial in and of itself, but like... 2025 you know), but I've seen their support do something sensible in my case just now, and Kathy posting here in NH.