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0 pointsqwertox1y ago0 comments

When I ordered a VPS at Netcup (a Hetzner alternative) they called me and asked me for the name of the hotel next to my place to check if I really lived at the address I provided. I guess that if i would have needed to look it up, that is, struggled a bit with the answer, they would have denied me as a customer.

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9 comments · 4 top-level

Y_Y1y ago· 5 in thread

If they can look it up then so can you! Maybe it filters out lazy scammers, but it doesn't sound like solid KYC to me.

In fact I don't feel like a hosting service should need to do this at all. If you pay your bills and aren't on the Stasi blacklist you should be good to go. I don't want or expect the likes of Hetzner to be responsible for policing.

foxylad1y ago

As someone who runs mail servers, I wish they'd be MORE strict to stop the drive-by spammers. Every so often our servers get blocked because someone starts sending spam from a machine on the same netblock.

It might be good point-of-difference for some hosting service: have brutal KYC so your netblock is well regarded.

BenjiWiebe1y ago

I agree. I'm currently using Linode. If they started requiring every account to have a valid US passport, I'd happily comply.

1 more reply

Y_Y1y ago

I don't think you can KYC your way to stopping spammers without stepping on some protected classes.

I think that having a blacklist with some ID (bank account, national ID, CA cert) that's hard to replace is a good compromise.

You could try giving people moral purity tests before you let them in (doesn't some of the tildeverse work like that?) but I think it's a dark road.

qwertoxOP1y ago

Sure, it's not solid, but they knew I was a private customer, so what should they do? Do a request to a private credit bureau like the SCHUFA (like Equifax) to check if my provided details are valid?

It feels like it's a check to get a general feeling if things sound plausible. Like no Russian accent for a German name, some knowledge of the surroundings, a valid phone number.

GreenWatermelon1y ago

Boy we're playing IRL Papers, Please now!

Aachen1y ago

Just today, a remote colleague mentioned staying at whatever hotel near the office. I had never heard of it: as a local, I don't tend to use the hotels here!

Seems like a really weird choice of question. Thinking of germans, a bakery seems more likely something they'd know of; perhaps a supermarket works more internationally (I'm sure there's exceptions to that as well). Maybe the distance in driving, cycling, or public transport minutes to surrounding cities could be a universal question to ask

this_user1y ago

I had the same thing, but this was a business address while I was working remotely and had no idea about the area. Told them as much on the phone while looking the answer up on Google Maps. They just accepted that and opened the account.

indigodaddy1y ago

I thought Netcup either colo'ed at or rented servers at, Hetzner? Maybe this was a ways back or have they always had their own DC?

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