Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames

Re:Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames by illiac786 on Wednesday February 21, 2024 @02:04AM (#39450922)

This is not correct. Go to a phone booth, get Signal, never need the phone number again. Any phone will do. Get a phone number from a different country online and without identity check, who cares, you will never need it again.

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Re:Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames by boobsbr on Wednesday February 21, 2024 @03:27AM (#39451376)

I haven't seen a phone booth in Europe for the last 7 years.

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Re:Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames by illiac786 on Wednesday February 21, 2024 @03:29AM (#39451392)

Just use the wonderful openstreetmap to find the nearest one, it will be closer than you think.

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Re:Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames by boobsbr on Wednesday February 21, 2024 @08:02AM (#39453257)

Is there a way to search for it, or do I have to scroll endlessly until i find one?

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Re:Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames by illiac786 on Wednesday February 21, 2024 @08:46AM (#39453706)

As an example, this reddit comment points to a procedure:

https://www.reddit.com/r/openstreetmap/comments/96sbd6/comme...

I tested it and it works for me.

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Re:Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames by boobsbr on Wednesday February 21, 2024 @11:51AM (#39456189)

Using:

  (area["ISO3166-1:alpha2"="my_country_code_here"];) -> .a;
    node["amenity"="telephone"].
      (area.a);
      (._;>;);
  out body;

I get 2 hits, one of which says all phones were removed in 2015.

Guess I'll continue not using Signal or Telegram.

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Re:Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames by illiac786 on Wednesday February 21, 2024 @11:56AM (#39456267)

Just move the map to your location and type "amenity=phone" in the wizard. Does that work? Are you willing to share the country you are in?

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Re:Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames by boobsbr on Wednesday February 21, 2024 @03:26PM (#39459029)

Belgium.

"amenity=phone" returns 15 matches worldwide.

"amenity:phone", "amenity:telephone" or "amenity=telephone" (no other filters) returns the same 2 matches.

EDIT:

Belgacom started removing them in 2013 in Brussels, and the rest of country followed suit. The Belgian regulator found it unnecessary to require them with the ubiquity of mobile phones.

https://www.bruxelles.be/sites/default/files/bxl/Com_.%20pre...

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Re:Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames by illiac786 on Thursday February 22, 2024 @09:15AM (#39467348)

Ouch.

I see 740 phone booths in Berlin at least, as a counter example.

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Re:Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames by jesterson on Wednesday February 21, 2024 @02:13AM (#39450968)

wouldn't the next bloke using the booth for same cause get the whole account?

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Re:Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames by illiac786 on Wednesday February 21, 2024 @02:15AM (#39450975)

Not if you set a PIN no. But I think the next bloke can't use the booth to create a signal account anymore. I don't think we'll run out of booth though considering how rare the use case is ;)

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Re:Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames by jesterson on Wednesday February 21, 2024 @09:15AM (#39454052)

Well, phone booths ain’t getting more ubiquitous for whatever reason either :)

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Re:Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames by illiac786 on Wednesday February 21, 2024 @09:20AM (#39454135)

I feel it’s really 5 HN hard core privacy persons who want it. I have 5 booth in walking distance from my home, they can have them =)

Even the one who want it seem not to know about “registration block” and “PIN” concepts in Signal, so I seriously question if they really want it…

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Re:Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames by zuhsetaqi on Wednesday February 21, 2024 @07:52AM (#39453161)

> … never need the phone number again

What if I lose my phone and want to login again on a new one. Don't they send a verification code to the number again?

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Re:Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames by illiac786 on Wednesday February 21, 2024 @08:54AM (#39453803)

Well if you lost your only credential and it’s a secure solution, it’s gone. You must set it up from scratch again.

Since we’re discussing not providing your phone number out of privacy/security concerns, I assume that “registration lock” and PIN are on the table, which would anyway block you from registering again using the same number after loosing your phone.

Hence, the situation is the same as with your mobile phone number: no backup, no luck.

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