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Comment by 3fe9a03ccd14ca5 | Hacker News Reader

The worst part about this is that twitter requires you to add a phone number. Why?? That’s very privacy hostile, since a phone number is very personal and identifiable.

And it’s like a bait and switch. They don’t require it at sign up, but within a short time they’ll lock your account until you add it.

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a dark pattern because while it's not actually required it might as well be, their 'account locked' email conveniently leaves out that you can simply email them and have them re-enable the account without a phone number.

that email for the curious:

Hello,

Your account appears to have exhibited automated behavior that violates the Twitter Rules: https://support.twitter.com/articles/18311.

In order to continue safely using Twitter, please follow these steps:

1. Log in to your account on the web or open your Twitter app (iOS or Android). 2. You’ll see a prompt letting you know your account has been locked. Click or tap “Start”. 3. Select your country/region from the drop down menu, and then enter your phone number. 4. Click “Send code” and Twitter will send you a text message with a confirmation code (note that your standard message rates may apply). 5. Enter the code you received in the “Your code” box and click “Submit”. 6. You will see a confirmation message that your account is now unlocked.

Once you confirm your identity, it may take up to a few minutes for your account to be unlocked.

If you’re still experiencing an issue after confirming your identity, please reply to this message and provide us with specific details of the problem you're experiencing. We’ll do our best to help!

Thanks,

Twitter Support

If you reply to this saying you don't have a phone they will re-enable your account but there's no mention of that or "click here to verify account" option.

Yeah, I gotta try that sometime.

I had deleted my account and wanted to make a new one for a new business. When it asked me for a phone number, I clicked back.

It has been a year and it still takes me straight to the phone number form any time I click a link for twitter. I can't even log out or do anything else.

So now I must either provide the phone number, use Twitter incognito, or delete the cookies. My guess is that for the casual non-tech user this means they will never use Twitter again until they put in their phone number because it's not possible to back out.

I setup a Twitter account so I could easily get images off my PS4. Right afterward they locked my account for not entering a number. Today I feel justified for leaving it locked and never looking back.

Does a usb thumb drive not work? I've used one to get a video off a PS4 once, but that was years ago. They may have changed things

Any user database is massively more valuable with verified phone numbers.

Even simple chat apps now require personally identifiable information to use.

Well that depends on what you intend to use it for...

Since twitter don't have a legitimate need for it I'd never give them my number. A disposable number, maybe.

Is there a way to get a disposable number that cannot be tied to your identity somehow (in the US, at least)?

> Is there a way to get a disposable number that cannot be tied to your identity somehow (in the US, at least)?

I have never had to present id when buying a prepaid phone in the US.

What about cameras and facial recognition?

Hoodies and sunglasses?

I'd rather not be seen anywhere near said device, flimsy disguise or no.

Approach a stranger who needs money, somewhere well out of view of any cameras. Pay them to buy a prepaid phone from Walmart or the like, using cash, on your behalf.

Sure. But activating such phones typically requires a telephone call. Or at least, it did the last time I tried it. And pay phones are now rare in the US.

Also, even if the phone is totally anonymous, you'll be geo-located as soon as you use it. By cell towers at least, and perhaps by WiFi and GPS.

You can buy accounts on the /r/BitMarket subreddit.

That arguably != "cannot". But you can get close by using Tor via nested VPNs to access Reddit. And by paying with some suitably anonymous cryptocurrency. Maybe well-mixed Bitcoin. Or some Etherium flavor, perhaps exchanged to Bitcoin.

Alternatively, some virtual SMS sites may still work for Twitter. Or there are sites where you can lease actual hosted SIM cards.

In Russia you can pay several roubles (which you can deposit using bitcoin) to a service providing phone numbers for registration. Such services are usually used by spammers (sorry, I mean marketers and SMM people) to create multiple accounts on social networks, but can be used to protect one's privacy too.

Sadly, not all services are good. Many of them block SMS from banks, loan firms and payment systems and I don't want to support them.

There are countries that allow you to buy SIM cards without identification, even in bulk. (e.g. Ukraine) They are also sold on various platforms including reddit. You can even enumerate known ports for certain web interfaces (cough ACE *cough) and access them with default passwords.

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