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I wouldn’t necessarily agree that WhatsApp‘s spam protection is that great. I’ve been invited to quite a lot of pyramid scheme/scam WhatsApp groups, however th

I wouldn’t necessarily agree that WhatsApp‘s spam protection is that great. I’ve been invited to quite a lot of pyramid scheme/scam WhatsApp groups, however that’s mostly happened after having to expose my private cell number on the internet (thanks to app stores and GDPR requiring some kind of phone number for businesses of any size).

Bluestein 1y ago
... always wondered if the cell phone requirements are not (also) tied to then wanting an actual, physical, person behind each account - as in most EU jurisdictions each SIM card is tied to an actual ID.-
- marci 1y ago
  In many EU countries, you can buy sim cards from some vending machine, in a grocery store or places where you can buy international telephone cards. No ID required. But phone plans are often tied to your home internet.
  - em-bee 1y ago
    are you sure no ID is required to activate the cards? at least in austria and i believe in germany you can't get a sim card without an ID.
    - marci 1y ago
      If you get a lyca sim card, even there you don't need ID to use it. There might be some restrictions after a month though.
- Bluestein 1y ago
  [flagged]
  - pepa65 1y ago
    Pure bullshit and trolling, you're getting off on yourself, please don't do that here.
  - data_maan 1y ago
    Nice post, I smiled. There are several countries that didn't buy into the madness of registering SIMs, luckily. Most strangely, the UK, the master of CCTV. Apparently they realized that it's a useless measure and will just anger the people.
    - Bluestein 1y ago
      ... And SIMs are available from vending machines, which I find amusing :)
radiospiel 1y ago
afaik no businesses are required by the gdpr to collect phone numbers, and would like to see evidence otherwise
- chrisldgk 1y ago
  Sorry, I should have been more specific. In Europe (or Germany at least) it’s required by law that you provide an imprint with contact information for every site you host, as well as a privacy policy that includes contact information of your GDPR officer if you collect any kind of personalized data. Since I’m a one-person company, that includes my personal phone number since I don’t have a business phone. Also chrome webstore for example requires a phone number if you host an extension on there. Edit: Also this wasn’t about collecting phone numbers, but about providing one for your business if you host a publically accessible site
- progval 1y ago
  There are no occurrences of "cell" or "phone" in GDPR, and the only relevant occurrences of "number" are about "national identification numbers", which phone numbers are not.

Bluestein 1y ago

... always wondered if the cell phone requirements are not (also) tied to then wanting an actual, physical, person behind each account - as in most EU jurisdictions each SIM card is tied to an actual ID.-

marci 1y ago
In many EU countries, you can buy sim cards from some vending machine, in a grocery store or places where you can buy international telephone cards. No ID required. But phone plans are often tied to your home internet.
- em-bee 1y ago
  are you sure no ID is required to activate the cards? at least in austria and i believe in germany you can't get a sim card without an ID.
  - marci 1y ago
    If you get a lyca sim card, even there you don't need ID to use it. There might be some restrictions after a month though.
Bluestein 1y ago
[flagged]
- pepa65 1y ago
  Pure bullshit and trolling, you're getting off on yourself, please don't do that here.
- data_maan 1y ago
  Nice post, I smiled. There are several countries that didn't buy into the madness of registering SIMs, luckily. Most strangely, the UK, the master of CCTV. Apparently they realized that it's a useless measure and will just anger the people.
  - Bluestein 1y ago
    ... And SIMs are available from vending machines, which I find amusing :)

radiospiel 1y ago

afaik no businesses are required by the gdpr to collect phone numbers, and would like to see evidence otherwise

chrisldgk 1y ago
Sorry, I should have been more specific. In Europe (or Germany at least) it’s required by law that you provide an imprint with contact information for every site you host, as well as a privacy policy that includes contact information of your GDPR officer if you collect any kind of personalized data. Since I’m a one-person company, that includes my personal phone number since I don’t have a business phone. Also chrome webstore for example requires a phone number if you host an extension on there. Edit: Also this wasn’t about collecting phone numbers, but about providing one for your business if you host a publically accessible site
progval 1y ago
There are no occurrences of "cell" or "phone" in GDPR, and the only relevant occurrences of "number" are about "national identification numbers", which phone numbers are not.