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The fact that you have to identify yourself with a phone number is a big red flag IMO.
by colordrops 5y ago
The fact that you have to identify yourself with a phone number is a big red flag IMO.
- tbihl 5y agoWhy not just use a VOIP number if that's a threat model you're worried about? For everyone else, the convenience of discoverability can trump.
- azalemeth 5y agoIs it possible to get free VOIP numbers easily online worldwide?
- tbihl 5y agoI have no idea. I don't purport to solve all the world's problems simultaneously, but there are people who could easily add a desired layer of obfuscation. And I don't think people should expect all good things to be free.
- colordrops 5y agoWhy not just allow people to register without a phone number?
- Jxl180 5y agoWhat if you got a Go phone/burner phone for like $20. Wouldn’t that quickly solve that issue?
- barbazoo 5y agoAFAIK you have to maintain the phone number you sign up with to be able to keep your "account". In many places, it's not feasible to keep a second phone number just for signal simply because it's too expensive.
- oh_sigh 5y agoYou need to provide government issued ID in many places to buy a SIM. For example, I had to scan my passport to get a SIM card in Madrid from a vending machine a few months ago
- greyface- 5y agoOnly if all of your contacts, and their contacts, and so on, also do the same.
- makeramen 5y agoI don't use Signal to message strangers, only contacts who I have phone numbers of. Seems like that's the use case for most messaging apps like Whatsapp and iMessage that Signal was designed to "compete" with. Signal is a private messaging app, not an anonymous messaging app. A worthwhile distinction with very different (though overlapping) target audiences.
- JohnFen 5y agoThat's what keeps me from investigating it further.