Google now *requires* you to give them a mobile phone number to create account?
https://plus.google.com/+LaurenWeinstein/posts/Wqf1VFrgWtr If Google is now actually requiring users to provide a mobile phone number to create an account, this is a REALLY BIG PROBLEM. I've recently been getting emails suggesting this, but I assumed they were usually confused. Checking now, it appears they may be correct. I am still trying to confirm. If this is actually the case, I have a little message for Google: There are LOTS of people out there who don't have mobile phones, or have them and have SMS text messages disabled because they don't want them or don't know how to deal with them. Nor do they necessarily have some handy person nearby ready and willing to let their phone be borrowed for this purpose and be tied to someone else's account -- or use other jump through hoop tricks to get around this. On top of that, such a requirement exacerbates the meme that Google is harvesting mobile phone numbers for commercial purposes -- it's a false meme, but a widespread one. If there is a standard way now to create a Google account without a mobile phone to receive SMS text messages, I'd appreciate being informed about it ASAP. Thanks. --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein ([email protected]): http://www.vortex.com/lauren Founder: - Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org - PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com/privacy-info Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org/pfir-info Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com Google+: http://google.com/+LaurenWeinstein Twitter: http://twitter.com/laurenweinstein Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com I have consulted to Google, but I am not currently doing so. My opinions expressed here are mine alone. _______________________________________________ nnsquad mailing list http://lists.nnsquad.org/mailman/listinfo/nnsquad
