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> Invite codes worked fine for Gmail Back in 2004, sure. Today, Gmail asks you for a phone number when signing up because of the spam problem.
by cyphar 10mo ago
> Invite codes worked fine for Gmail
Back in 2004, sure. Today, Gmail asks you for a phone number when signing up because of the spam problem.
- kragen 10mo agoI don't think that's why they ask for it, no.
- account42 10mo agoExactly, just like all those site that added SMS 2FA didn't do it for the extra security.
- cyphar 10mo agoMore than one thing can be true at once. In the case of Twitter, there is evidence that the initial implementation was meant to just be a security mechanism but later someone else noticed they had a handy database of user phone numbers and decided to treat them as free marketing contact information.
- NorwegianDude 10mo agoTo be fair, Gmail asks for a phone number, but you dont have to add one.
- cyphar 10mo agoThis might depend on the country you're in, but I'm quite certain I've gotten locked out of the signup flow in the past when I refused to provide a phone number.
- wkat4242 10mo agoIt depends what you do it from. If you do it from an android device you don't have to. If you do it from the web you do.
- cyphar 10mo agoI just tried it from my Android phone (GrapheneOS) and it still asks to verify a phone number when trying to create an account via a web browser. (Strangely, even though it's a private browser session it just asks to confirm my number by sending an SMS, not asking me for my phone number like it does on desktop -- I wonder how that works...) If you're saying that the account creation flow through the system accounts application doesn't require a phone number, how are you sure that Google doesn't just collect the phone number directly from your device (they could even silently verify it through a class-0 silent SMS)? Does it also not ask for a phone number if you factory reset, remove the SIM card, and do not register the phone with a Google account? Maybe they track the IMEI instead?