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0 pointsGroxx5y ago0 comments

It is, but it's not re-validated once used. You can get a burner phone, sign up, ditch the phone.

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7 comments · 2 top-level

There are no such thing as burner phones in many countries any more. You have to show ID to buy a SIM card, and a copy is made and sent on to the authorities.

Also, Signal revalidates the number when restoring from backup. If you don't have the number any more, you can't revalidate and have to start over with a different number.

walrus015y ago

I bet you 50 euros that I could pay a random homeless person or drug addict to go buy a basic android phone with SIM card and service at retail. The sort of people who are running drug smuggling and middle/end-retail distribution operations have access to lots of such persons.

'smurfing' methodologies are well known.

Symbiote5y ago

They can steal a SIM, or buy one from a country where they are available freely.

cheeze5y ago

Belgium is one of these countries.

swiley5y ago· 2 in thread

I'm not going through the hassle of buying a new phone just to create another centralized chat account. I have email (with GPG if you don't mind that,) a jabber account with OMEMO enabled clients, and SMS. Two people have bothered to ask if I want to use signal and everyone just uses SMS.

tmp5383947225y ago

Are you a member of an organized crime syndicate?

GroxxOP5y ago

Oh I totally agree, I think the phone-number requirement is absolutely ridiculous. Just pointing out that it's possible.

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