It is just what has become the easiest way to keep alt accounts away, I guess. Also makes for a dystopian future, however you want to see it.
If those platforms had some “benevolent” AI that could track data points and clusters without the need for a phone number, to track sockpuppets, platforms might not use phone number. Or if they had experienced people like me, like I am here at Lemmy, that regularly help shut down alts, trolls and harassers, that would be another option. Both of these are harder than just using phone number identifier, it seems, as R&D for that kind of benevolent AI tracker would cost colossal amounts of money.
It is just what has become the easiest way to keep alt accounts away, I guess. Also makes for a dystopian future, however you want to see it.
If those platforms had some “benevolent” AI that could track data points and clusters without the need for a phone number, to track sockpuppets, platforms might not use phone number. Or if they had experienced people like me, like I am here at Lemmy, that regularly help shut down alts, trolls and harassers, that would be another option. Both of these are harder than just using phone number identifier, it seems, as R&D for that kind of benevolent AI tracker would cost colossal amounts of money.