<aside> <img src="/icons/book-closed_blue.svg" alt="/icons/book-closed_blue.svg" width="40px" /> MuckRock’s User Guide gives you everything to make the most out of MuckRock’s suite of tools. If this has helped you, consider donating to support our work!
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If this is your first time setting up two-factor authentication for an account, here’s a quick introduction to some of the concepts you’ll need to understand to get up-and-running.
Two-factor authentication, often abbreviated as 2FA, strengthens your login by requiring a second piece of information (or “factor”) to log in, in addition to your password. We strongly encourage MuckRock users adopt two-factor authentication to protect any sensitive data that may be stored on your accounts.
We recommend these two excellent fact sheets for more information on two-factor authentication and why it is important:
Usually when scanning a QR code, you’ll simply open your phone’s camera. However, in order to correctly scan the code for setting up 2FA, you’ll likely have to have installed a mobile app that provides 2FA functionality.
We recommend using a mobile app, such as 2FAS or Google Authenticator. Both of these apps are available for both iOS and Android.
Many password managers now support one-time passcodes used with two-factor authentication. 1Password and Apple Passwords both provide built-in support for scanning QR codes and generating the one-time use codes for signing into your account. Many other popular password managers provide this functionality, too.
Saving your recovery codes during 2FA enrollment is essential: they provide access to your account if you ever lose access to your two-factor device. Without recovery codes or your two-factor device, you risk becoming locked out of your account.
You may substitute a recovery code for the one-time code generated by your two-factor device, but a single recovery code may only be used one time.
Since recovery codes can be used to bypass 2FA, you should keep them saved in a secure place such as a password manager, a locked note, or a printout stored in a secure location.
Learn more about generating and using recovery codes