This is why I don't use my real phone number with apps and HATE apps using phone numbers as a proxy for a user id.
Get a virtual phone number if any service requires a phone number from you. Don't submit to this nonsense.
Get a virtual phone number if any service requires a phone number from you. Don't submit to this nonsense.
They are like the credit companies, they have information on you whether you allow them to or not.
The only way is to have a separate set of email, phone numbers, for those family and friends who doesn't care about privacy and security, that way it is easy to dispose those information later.
Beyond that … if we truly want to avoid it … the only course of action is to not give them anything at all. Not a single email, not a single phone number, not even our home addresses.
Hmm, not many of my friends have my phone number either. I don't usually use phone with friends. Come to think of it I almost never use phone, I always use FB, WeChat, LINE, Hangouts, etc. for voice calls, and sometimes just use a straight up WebRTC call.
I suppose one way to alleviate this for the masses is that when giving your number to a friend, have them use a pseudonym that is easy to remember for them and not use your real name.
But I don't even understand why they're allowed to look up the provider, or why I can't define myself as a mobile operator.