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Minimally, for one who wants to keep a personal number private, this will raise the barrier to entry with an ongoing cost for a separate number. Still, it’s a

Minimally, for one who wants to keep a personal number private, this will raise the barrier to entry with an ongoing cost for a separate number. Still, it’s a win for less technical users -- who ostensibly have never installed an alternative store -- considering they’ll be less likely to recognize scammy apps like the flashlights of old.

MBCook 3y ago
But Google can confirm that stuff without display it to the end user. That’s the role the intermediary should play.
- lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 3y ago
  Yeah, I agree with that too; it would be preferable if the privacy concern was “only” that it has to be sent to Google and not be displayed publicly. I think there is another point that it eases support contact for users to developers. But I disagree with that, I think. The developers should be able to decide for themselves how to provide that information, as well as what to provide. But then that has issues considering developers who might choose “send a letter to this PO box”, so there still has to be some verification that it’s not “too” inconvenient to the end user. From that angle, Google might prefer to dictate these terms. I see that Google likes to be heavy-handed (and is being so), which I don’t like to see, but this might actually be a positive for someone other than Google (or their business partners), which I do like to see. That being said, I’m not sure if the positive outweighs the negative. I also suspect Google’s intentions (to say the least) and consider that they really like the extra phone numbers they’ll get people to cough up. It’s certainly interesting to think about.
  - MBCook 3y ago
    Mandating a support site or an email or something like that makes total sense to me. It’s publishing real world addresses or phone numbers that really worries me. Either you have to give up your privacy and possibly be in danger or pay extra to avoid it by buying a phone number or a PO Box somewhere.
impissedoff1 3y ago
This is super trivial, a malicious actor will just use one of the thousands of free receive only sms to confirm
- ghusto 3y ago
  My first thought too. Trivial for bad actors to get around, an annoyance for normal developers.

MBCook 3y ago

But Google can confirm that stuff without display it to the end user. That’s the role the intermediary should play.

lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 3y ago
Yeah, I agree with that too; it would be preferable if the privacy concern was “only” that it has to be sent to Google and not be displayed publicly. I think there is another point that it eases support contact for users to developers. But I disagree with that, I think. The developers should be able to decide for themselves how to provide that information, as well as what to provide. But then that has issues considering developers who might choose “send a letter to this PO box”, so there still has to be some verification that it’s not “too” inconvenient to the end user. From that angle, Google might prefer to dictate these terms. I see that Google likes to be heavy-handed (and is being so), which I don’t like to see, but this might actually be a positive for someone other than Google (or their business partners), which I do like to see. That being said, I’m not sure if the positive outweighs the negative. I also suspect Google’s intentions (to say the least) and consider that they really like the extra phone numbers they’ll get people to cough up. It’s certainly interesting to think about.
- MBCook 3y ago
  Mandating a support site or an email or something like that makes total sense to me. It’s publishing real world addresses or phone numbers that really worries me. Either you have to give up your privacy and possibly be in danger or pay extra to avoid it by buying a phone number or a PO Box somewhere.

impissedoff1 3y ago

This is super trivial, a malicious actor will just use one of the thousands of free receive only sms to confirm

ghusto 3y ago
My first thought too. Trivial for bad actors to get around, an annoyance for normal developers.