4 ms·

It's more of a bot prevention mechanism than identification, however, I believe it encourages people to be more responsible for what they post also.

• rvz 6y ago
  Well a captcha does just that without a phone number.
  • ratsmack 6y ago
    People will think twice about posting threats, child porn, and other illicit things when they have some skin in the game. This definitely cuts down on moderation requirements.