User's accounts ...
They have only one user now?
Microsoft is bringing two-factor authentication to its users' accounts over the next couple of days. "With this release you can choose to protect your entire account with two-step verification, regardless of what service (or device) you are using with your Microsoft account," Eric Doerr, group program manager for Microsoft …
...don't make it as intrusive as Google then I'm all fine with it.
Google keeps nagging that they want my cellphone number because its "very important" that they have that; without it they can't text me "important information to unlock my account" should I ever lose the password.
Yeah right.....
>Google keeps nagging that they want my cellphone number
OK, I get that you don't trust Google too much. Still, assuming you do use gmail, here's some pseudocode to ruminate about:
*************
phoneNbrs = grep <phone number regular expression> from <sent mail>
numrefs = select Nbr, count(*) as count from phoneNbrs group by Nbr order by 2 desc
your phone = numrefs[0].Nbr if len(numrefs) > 10 and numrefs[0].count > 2*numrefs[1].count
*************
Personally, and it may be shortsighted, but it's my worldview, I know exactly why Google wants to provide me with free, albeit searchable, email.
To sell ads. Even though I rarely care about ads myself.
In aggregate, that is a very valuable biz for them to be in. Why should they jeopardize it by undertaking nefarious activities that I am not aware of, precisely because they are already where they find it most profitable to be? Selling on contact information to 3rd parties takes Google out of the ad loop and exposes them to public outrage.
To me, a clearly stated profit motive is way more reassuring than all sorts of pious privacy policies that will be ignored at the first whiff of a buck.