Are there any ways to avoid handing over your real phone number, besides having an extra SIM? Lots of places/services want SMS verification, but i rarely want to hand out my actual phone number.

  • DreadPotatoOP
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    1 year ago

    A google service doesn’t really inspire trust in privacy? I’m trying to move away from Google services as much as possible.

    • AllegedlyInsane@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      SMS is unencrypted, insecure, and not private to begin with. Your SIM provider can see everything you send plus track you via cell towers.

      As someone who is currently de-googling my own stuff I understand but wanting google services but please don’t think it being Google is why it’s not Privacy focused.

      • DreadPotatoOP
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        1 year ago

        Its simply to avoid handing out my real phone number to companies so they can use it to match data from other datasets that link it to me. If im giving them my real phone number, i might as well also just give them my real email and not an alias.

    • dan1101@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      I’d rather be 1 of billions of Google users instead of 1 of thousands on another smaller service. But a prepaid burner phone that doesn’t require any sort of personal information would be the ultimate privacy and still get you SMS capability.