Telegram solved this problem, they just sold a fake numbers on blockchain where you can get a number without leaving a trace and stay completely anonymous while keeping number-based model. Plus, additional monetization.

In what way is selling on blockchain “without leaving a trace”? The whole point of blockchain is that trace is publicly viewable

It doesn't leave a trace if you don't look for it!

Last time I tried using Telegram it required a phone and a number. Has anything changed since then?

Edit: Just tried it again, and I cannot register on Linux without a phone number. Here is a screenshot: https://i.imgur.com/WcnHBx1.png

Pretty recently (one year or so), they started their blockcain numbers. You can get a random one for free, or a "vanity" one if you buy it... I guess they are mined somehow? They all start with 888.

I wish signal did something similar.

Edit: find the numbers here: https://fragment.com/numbers

It's probably affiliated with Telegram, I'm not sure.

> and I cannot register on Linux without a phone number.

Yep, but it doesn't have to be a real, publicly routable one. You can get one from Telegram without having to provide government provided ID like I have to for real phone numbers. See sibling comment.

Signal allows changing phone numbers: https://support.signal.org/hc/en-us/articles/360007062012-Ch...

> As stated in the article, not everyone has access to a phone number and not everyone can maintain the same phone number.

The article does not say that. I would argue that having a phone number is a very basic thing, and if you don’t have it, you are unlikely to have access to the Internet either. Phone numbers are a nice way to ensure you’re a human.

There are people in the world who don't have a phone. amazing eh

And yet they have a computer?

Yes. In the USA, people use the free library computers. In foreign countries, people rent computers in cyber cafes.

kids at home could have tablet without SIM and use signal to communicate with parents away from home

It's pretty common to buy/beg/borrow an old cell phone and just use it over wifi. Especially kids or anyone who is tight on money. Food/water/shelter ranks much higher than cell service and monthly server + Data plan (required for signal) isn't cheap.

So Signal isn't for everyone, because it's not for people in China who disagree with the Chinese government.

Requiring a phone number means it's not for everyone, period.

The article you linked requires them to have access to the old phone.

There was a post a few weeks ago about how homeless people struggle to retain their phones, going through a new phone every week [0].

Personally, when I travel, I don’t always have my US phone number available. If my phone is stolen while I’m abroad, I can’t get a new phone or recover my phone number until I return, which could be months later.

Signal is not for everyone and them claiming it is makes me trust them less.

[0] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33120534