Unfortunately, this is quickly coming to the West as well. I believe twitter, facebook, imgur, and gmail (and I'm sure I missed many others) all require phone n

Unfortunately, this is quickly coming to the West as well. I believe twitter, facebook, imgur, and gmail (and I'm sure I missed many others) all require phone number verification, and most countries require some sort of ID to get a phone number. And I say this with the direct opposite intent of whataboutism - it's horrifying in China, and if we let it, it'll be just as horrifying here.