Internet sites/services requiring intrusive information

[Zathras]

I can't really find a more appropriate place to post this, but I have to get this off my chest. More and more, major sites like Google, Youtube, Yahoo!, Microsoft, and so on, want me to provide a ridiculous level of personal information to create a simple email or user account. They want a MOBILE NUMBER, often with the pretense of it being needed for some security BS. I give my mobile number to NO ONE except IMMEDIATE family and select close friends. Hell, I'd rather give out my land line number than my mobile number. Many people don't even have a mobile phone. They have NO LEGITIMATE BUSINESS NEED to require a mobile number to set up a simple email account or video sharing account.

Not to mention sites that constantly want to link to a Facebook account or other social media accounts. I should be able to keep SEPARATE, un-linked accounts. I value my privacy and in some cases that means I want to keep separate online identities on different sites and services. There is obviously a massive push by the Powers That Be to force us into using easily identifiable online accounts across the board. It's only a matter of time before they require you to use your SSN and a DNA sample to register an account.

I don't know how to fight back, other than to complain like this, and refuse to use services that require such intrusive information for no legitimate reason. There desperately needs to be some kind of Online Bill of Rights to protect internet user's privacy and anonymity from these kinds of data mining schemes.

 

[UsernameIssues]

... They have NO LEGITIMATE BUSINESS NEED to require a mobile number to set up a simple email account or video sharing account....

Sure they do: they want to track and sell you to others. That is their business model. You simply don't have to agree to it.

As someone once said, If You’re Not Paying for It; You’re the Product.

Google has a reason to drastically filter the people that can setup Gmail accounts. It makes their accounts more useful to those that use them correctly. Yahoo, on the other hand, will let you setup as many e-mail accounts as you want - and they let you do it very quickly - one right after another. Hence the higher spam rating for junk coming from Yahoo. Hotmail/Outlook limits you to a few new accounts per IP per day (of course you can get a new IP address).

I'm not saying that I like the way things are heading, but --- stuff ain't free.

 

[grits]

I agree about those #$%& social media sites. I don't use them but seems like every site I visit, I think even this one, leaves umpteen icons,etc. in my TIF's.
And just recently I went to a cigarette site to see what the difference was in their flavors & they DID ask for my SSN!!
I can understand their caution about minors but to ask for ssn is way out of line in my book! I just backed out of it.

By the way, I don't need a lecture on smoking being bad, I know that & will quit, just need the right timing.