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Because Google et al. want your phone number for certain commercial uses unbeknownst to you? Is it possible that personal information could be more valuable to these web companies than hex digits? Marketers cannot do much with a block of hex but they will pay for a working phone number. Collect enough personal information about people and in today's world you have a valuable company.

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Last week I traveled home and Google did not let me login to my account because they were somehow 'suspicious' it was not me using my password (same machine). They wanted to force me to provide my phone number, even though I never asked for 2FA. Not truly a dark pattern, but shady anyway, expecting nothing less from a prism company.

ot. I guess you are downvoted because the element of truth in your comment (e.g. 2FA is data collection) hit some nerve. Just yesterday a similar 'questioning 2FA panacea' comment was downvoted, even though it was just arguing about the security aspects.

I'm sorry but if you purposely haven't opted for 2 Auth, then Google asking for a similar thing when they have a doubt is not shadowy. It's definitely in the real of needed. Do you realize what a Google account / identity means on today's Web?

google has 2FA with HOTP/TOTP just fine, which doesn't leave any extra information to them

all their consumer services are in the business of mining your data. 2FA is just the icing on the cake.

Google requires a phone number to create an account nowadays no matter if you use 2FA or not.

This is not the case when creating a new account from an Android device.

It is not true anywhere. GP is simply talking out of his ass.

There was definitely a time, maybe a few years ago in the 2013-2014 range, when opening a new Gmail account required a phone number to activate[1]. The rule wasn't applied to every one, it was based on some heuristic or another.

Though, amusingly enough, you could use a Google Voice number and there was no limit to the number of accounts one number could activate (at least not that I noticed).

1 http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Google-Yah...

The reason why I make my throwaway email accounts with gmx.com is because when I tried to create Google or yahoo addresses they both required a phone number. Yes, I am aware that wasn't a requirement 10 years ago. You also got my gender wrong.

Once you set up 2fa via their code generator, you can remove the phone number from your account.

Or use a throwaway phone number, then remove the phone number.

They verify your phone number.

Absolutely not true at least from France. They severely insist you provide one, but if not they can Auth you from another mail address.

I think a public key is just as identifiable as a phone number and just as prone to data collection anything else. Although in this scenario it would be easier for the security conscious , to have multiple private keys.

Exactly, you can generate multiple keys with a push of a button, while your phone number is very personal, supplemented by a contract with an operator. Also, try calling me on my public key.

> Also, try calling me on my public key.

Check out http://telehash.org

They want your number so they can prevent you from creating multiple accounts or know which accounts are linked to your real identity.

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