By: Nejdana Houshyar, SFU Student

I can’t be the only one who despises multi-factor authentication (MFA). If you are a student at SFU, you have likely experienced the frustrating process of trying to log in to Canvas or goSFU only for MFA to stop you. This is when the annoying process ensues. You pull out your phone, put in the code before the timer runs out, and wait to be logged in. Sometimes, it’s hard to even find the motivation to open these sites at all. Adding another hurdle to accessing Canvas isn’t necessary. 

Another gripe I have is with the “remember me on this browser for seven days” button. The fact that the duration is limited to only seven days is absurd. This means, for a semester (including the exam period), we have to enter a new code 15–16 times. Now I don’t know about you, but Monday mornings are already hectic for me — I mean, I am already running late for lectures — the last thing I want to see is the MFA page. At the very least, implementing a 14-day login would reduce my weekly groans.

You see, I understand that these extra steps are implemented for security and protection. But who could possibly be trying to log in to Canvas on my behalf? I just want to get my school work done without feeling like I’m acting out the cliché trope of a nerdy character in a movie hacking into the mainframe.