Telco's (and probably other service providers) who promised Multi-Factor Authentication have LIED and instead provided Single-Factor Authentication only, requiring phone/sms ONLY and in many cases smart-phone ONLY verification methods for online account verification purposes. They have quietly and deceptively removed the tried & true Email Verification method completely, and are even bullying and harassing their customers, treating all of us like we're dirt.

It's not a legal requirement to have a phone or smart-phone for essential services like internet/nbn, yet these mobster companies who now monopolize their industries are treating it like so (IE:):

https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2022L00548/latest/text
9  Multi-factor Authentication Requirements
(3) The carriage service provider for the telecommunications service must use at least one of the following identity authentication processes to confirm that the requesting person is the customer, or is the customer’s authorised representative, for that service:
(c) use of a unique verification code or secure hyperlink:
(B) by email to an email address that has been validated by the relevant person.

Everyone is potentially affected by this precedent. Immediately the most vulnerable or financially-challenged who either don't have a phone at all, or smart-phone, or others who make that life-choice. Regardless of our reasons, without a phone, telco services such as broadband internet/nbn become even more essential, since it's the only form of connection with the outside world such as remote family video contact, paying bills for essential services like power, official communications, banking, shopping, education, support, various entertainments, etc etc. 

You may think this doesn't affect you; you love your smart-phone (as I used to), and you think you're mentally sound and safe and capable to carry on into old age (like I used to). But just think where you'd be if you were forcibly & completely disconnected from everyone, and the world you think you know?

The precedent being set right now could have dire consequences for the future of accessibility; The "Essential" in essential services is not just a catch-phrase, it's a necessity for ALL PEOPLE to have accessibility regardless of phone status.

Public outcry against this corporate bullying and harassment of customers who don't have a phone or smartphone is needed now, to urgently reinstate alternative options like Email Verification for an actual Multi-Factor-Authentication process. Email provides the same level of security as SMS. It allows everyone regardless of their circumstances to access the essential services & platforms they need. It's a universally accessible and inclusive alternative.

So lets advocate for a world that caters to all, not just those with the means to use phones or smartphones.

Please add your free support to this petition so that with more supporters this can be handed to relevant agencies such as government regulators (IE: ACMA) or legal forces or support systems like the Australian Telecommunication Industry Ombudsman (TIO) who may be able to make great good from this petition. 

The statistics of the TIO's incredible work (but failing power of influence due to AI) for the people show horrendous trends: a whopping 61,118 complaints made against Telco's for 2024! (based on their Q2 Oct-Dec 2024 PDF report). That's 244 complaints for every single business day of the year! (based on the australia-workingdays website). These injustices by Telco's against their own good loyal customers is unconscionable!

Thank you to everyone who adds their free support to this petition, and please share it with as many people as you can, for current and future generations.

I'd like to add a comment of youth fighting this abomination of Smartphone addictiveness and life-dependence "The Luddite Club": https://www.theludditeclub.org/about

If it's not a scam, all power to them for learning the smartphone evils and joining the masses of those against smartphones. Save humanity NOW before smartphones become too essential as Telcos are attempting to declare as being the only essential forms of identity verification (ignoring full legislative options of legal requirements they are given by the ACMA - Australia).

Please share your support of this petition.