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it adds a small cost to creating sockpoppets but it adds much larger value in having personal data for targeted ads

like my sibling said, twitter was dishonest to their users how the phone number was to be used

if it's just to prevent bot signups, why keep it on file at all?

They no longer use it for ads, so the value now is just fraud and security.

> if it's just to prevent bot signups, why keep it on file at all?

I mean, you need the actual number for 2FA. I guess maybe you could hash it after some amount of time just for blocking bots? You couldn't just discard it or one number could create unlimited bots.

Multiple companies have been caught using information for ads that they said they wouldn't, and Twitter have already proven that they're not trust worthy

They might use it in ranking posts presented to you. Or deciding where yours rank.

There’s more to sorting than just ads, security and fraud.

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