Signal needs a phone number. Why are we dismissing this as privacy versus anonymity when governments are blocking the registration SMS? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by autonomoususer@lemmy.world to c/privacy@lemmy.ml

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I really don’t get why so many people are turning this into a privacy versus anonymity debate when the real problem is censorship.

Yes, Signal needs a phone number to sign up, but replacing that with an email or username doesn’t make it anonymous. The real issue is that governments are blocking the registration SMS, so people can’t even sign up for the app in the first place.

Sure, there are workarounds, but most people aren’t going to jump through all those extra hoops just to use an app. If we want to spread privacy, how do we do that when Signal's phone number requirement is actively working against us?

Instead of arguing over privacy versus anonymity, shouldn’t we focus on making sure everyone can access Signal without issues? What do you think?

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[-] WalnutLum@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 day ago

I know of matrix, what are some other alternatives?

Also a protocol that got falsely maligned during the crypto days was secure scuttlebutt, and people should be talking about it more.

[-] dessalines@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Matrix, SimpleX, Briar(not a huge fan of this one since its android only), XMPP (only if you have encryption addon).

this post was submitted on 10 Sep 2025

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