Open Forum → NO phone number FREE email ?

any free email address THAT DO NOT REQUIRE a mobile or house phone

I saw a ad that Microsoft (outlook.com) had it but It wanted a phone number THAT IS PERSONAL INFO

EVEN though the TV ad CLAIMED Not to require personal info

Gmail

The Abine "Mask Me" offers masked (anonymous) email addys for those pesky websites that *demand* an email address: works with Firefox, Chrome and (maybe) Safari. It's free and safe. But -- you have to have an mail address for the masked emails to forward.

Does anybody actually put a real number in there?

That is the first thing I thought of. As if email was somehow dependent on a correct phone number.

MS just won't be able to send a forgotten password via text message (which I suspect is a ploy to obtain and use your phone number for their own benefit).

I have a standard fake phone number I use on anything asking..it is in my area code and keeps me from being bothered by spam. Hopefully no one else has the number.

It makes me wonder how many people use (area code) 867-5309 LOL

Google will require a phone number depending on where you are accessing it from.

I just use the phone number that's for my air card. Don't give a hoot if Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, etc has any phone number of mine, the air card has an easy phone number so I default to that.

True, but they never really checked to verify that it's a valid phone number.

(425) 705-1900
»www.microsoft.com/about/ ··· vue.aspx

This seems like an appropriate # to use.

They will make you verify a code to verify it, but it all depends on where you are logging in from.

Somebody either fat fingered their phone number into facebook wrong, or put mine in as a fake number, then I proceeded to be spammed by facebook with confirmation codes. Facebook didn't give any damn option to say "Hey that isn't my account, stop bothering me." either. It also gave no identifiable information about the account for me to contact them. It was also a pain to find any real contact for them, and it eventually stopped.

I've also had to contact Verizon corporate after the dumbasses at Verizon were ignorant too a mailing list for employees in charge of their corporate b&m stores, and I was getting their mailing list that said when things like there were point of sale problems, their promotions, when their backorder of a phone was coming in. After their corporate tried to dismiss me, and pawn me back to the same morons who had no idea what it was I made a twitter feed to post all of these messages publicly. It seems they finally pulled their heads out of their asses, and I finally stopped receiving them.

Facebook has no phone number from me and when possible I attempt not to give one at all. Even with contacts I give email only if necessary. The DNC is a fair idea but not taken serious enough IMO, I don't want ANY calls coming through including people I bought from, political nor charity.

For those sites that require one I give them a gmail number I have. I very seldom ever give out my real cell number.

I did try to buy 867-5309 in my area code once... was not successful

gmail... don't be tricked just because it looks like it requires a number, leave it blank.

It will only require a number from a few IP spaces.

+1 to what dib22 said. I just created a gmail account without a phone #.

No - it is not 'personal info'

How is it NOT "personal information" when it is an unlisted, unpublished number that you pay extra for each month (and the amount you must pay keeps going up but those who want to advertise their numbers get the advertising for free).

YES !!! Phone numbers ARE personal and they are like instant gold. Businesses make a small fortune selling/renting/sharing that information. If you don't think so, set up an account somewhere with an obvious variation of your name. Just wait for those telemarketers to start calling !

Gmail has never required a phone number from me. And I have accessed my email from many locations.

True, they used to ask for one every few months, but there was always a tiny "nag me latter" button.
[EDIT]: or else, as stated elsewhere in this thread, just leave the phone entry blank and click "next".

Keep in mind that I have never enabled two step (text to phone) authentication.

It isn't personal info? Then how about you post here your phone number, the phone number of all your family, friends and all of your work and business contacts?

It depends on where you are logging in from. If they think you are a spammer, they will require you to verify a number before you can access your account. You just may not have run into that.

Maybe you're right. But I've logged in from open Wi-Fi networks, such as at a large hospital. I would think such open networks are a source of spam and network abuse.

I used to often get requests to enter my phone number. But I've always been able to leave it blank and click next. Oddly enough, I haven't seen that request for many months.

Jenny does!

I have opened many "free" hotmail type email accounts and have yet needed to enter a phone number ...

Never mind, just read it does require sms/registration at some point, must have changed.

I just opened one at outlook.com

NO personal information needed

Just make up a number..