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>I am also considering using SIP (VOIP) numbers for maximum privacy, The problem is many services out there using SMS for authentication codes blacklist VOIP

by jasode 1y ago

>I am also considering using SIP (VOIP) numbers for maximum privacy, The problem is many services out there using SMS for authentication codes blacklist VOIP numbers and only accept real phone numbers tied to a SIM/eSIM. E.g. In USA, the Social Security website doesn't accept VOIP numbers to verify logins. Also, some software purchase validation schemes (i.e. using phones as a form of "DRM" restriction) reject VOIP numbers. In the early 2000s when VOIP started being offered to consumers, nobody checked for "is it VOIP?" so didn't rejected them. It was as good as a real phone number. But that has changed and more and more places will not accept them. A lot of financial services (trading platforms and KYC reject VOIP numbers).

dredmorbius 1y ago
Surely those systems have fallbacks for those lacking mobile service entirely?
- jasode 1y ago
  For a government website like Social Security, the fallback is for the citizen to go to the local office instead of authenticating credentials remotely at home. Same situation with the IRS tax refund website. The ID.ME identity website used by the IRS rejected VOIP numbers. If a person wants their tax refund released without giving up their phone # to ID.ME, they need to drive to the IRS office and verify their identity in-person. For the software-verify-phone#-with-SMS, there was no other option. If one theoretically didn't have a real mobile phone #, there was no way to buy that software.
  - notmyjob 1y ago
    EDD in California doesn’t have any physical location for this, but that’s one of the smaller catastrophic failures of California’s current governance. This is despite giving away, with no accountability to tax payers) over 50 BILLION dollars to scammers and multinational organized crime during the pandemic.
- jrexilius 1y ago
  No, most don't. I've used that approach in the past for privacy and in recent years most services started blocking it with no alternatives.
noir_lord 1y ago
Can't even create an apple account without a phone number (even though they sell devices without a (e)sim (slot) ).

by jasode 1y ago

dredmorbius 1y ago

Surely those systems have fallbacks for those lacking mobile service entirely?

jasode 1y ago
For a government website like Social Security, the fallback is for the citizen to go to the local office instead of authenticating credentials remotely at home. Same situation with the IRS tax refund website. The ID.ME identity website used by the IRS rejected VOIP numbers. If a person wants their tax refund released without giving up their phone # to ID.ME, they need to drive to the IRS office and verify their identity in-person. For the software-verify-phone#-with-SMS, there was no other option. If one theoretically didn't have a real mobile phone #, there was no way to buy that software.
- notmyjob 1y ago
  EDD in California doesn’t have any physical location for this, but that’s one of the smaller catastrophic failures of California’s current governance. This is despite giving away, with no accountability to tax payers) over 50 BILLION dollars to scammers and multinational organized crime during the pandemic.
jrexilius 1y ago
No, most don't. I've used that approach in the past for privacy and in recent years most services started blocking it with no alternatives.

noir_lord 1y ago

Can't even create an apple account without a phone number (even though they sell devices without a (e)sim (slot) ).