One day a friend invited me to sign up for an account on a social networking site. I, as someone who prefers to keep even the most basic information about myself private, was reluctant to do so. After a few rounds of one person begging the other, I conceded and decided to give this a try.
The first step in the registration was simple enough. The screen asked me to enter my name, basic contact information, preferred user name, and password.
The next item on the sign-up form is to select a question that would be asked in the event that I forget the password. As I scrolled through the list, I slumped and mumbled "is that all that I can choose from?"
"What is your pet's name?" I don't own a pet, not even one of those electronic ones.
"What is your favourite pastime?" Sometimes I wonder whether I have one; sometimes I wonder if I can pick a favourite.
"What is your father's middle name/mother's maiden name?" Any family friend can figure out the answer quickly if asked.
"What make is your first car/bike?" I can't recall.
"What was the date of your most memorable day?" There are so many memorable days in my life (good or bad) that I have trouble picking just one.
"What is my favourite fictional character?" My favourite fictional character at the time when I forget my password may be different from the answer I give right now.
"What is your favourite book/novel/movie/food?" Like the last question, the answer can change over time.
"Who are your 2 best friends?" You mean I have to rank my friends from best to worst? How can those who design these questions be so cruel?
"Where did you meet your spouse?" I don't have a spouse. Next question please!
"Who was your childhood hero?" Hmm. Did I have one?
"What is your favourite sports team?" In which sport?
"What is your high school mascot?" What high school I went to is public knowledge. So one just needs to "goggle it" to find the answer to this question.
"What is the name of your first school?" Again, practically everyone I know knows the answer to this, so the question is in no way secure.
"Who was your first teacher?" I have long forgotten his/her name.
"What is your frequent-flyer membership/library card number?" I would consider choosing this as my security question, if I can just recall where I put my card.
"What is your first phone number?" My first phone number happens to be my current phone number.
After agonizing over the choices for a long time, I realized that I can supply a question (and answer) of my own (I should have noticed this sooner). The first question that came to my head was "why would anyone think the answers to the above questions are known to only the person him/herself?" The answer is, of course, a secret.