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Ask HN: Is there a temp phone number like temp email?

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Re: Ask HN: Is there a temp phone number like temp email?

#11

Post by JohnFen »

madamelic wrote: post #10
JohnFen wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For about $20, you can buy a phone that comes with 10 minutes of talk time and has its own phone number. You can use that as a temp number. If you don't buy more time for that phone, the number will go away and you can then buy time for it and get a different number. Or, what I do, is just keep it loaded with a minimal amount of minutes and use the same number for all such registration purposes. I started doing this…

Sometimes won't work, especially larger sites. I used to run a service that was using Twilio to do exactly what OP is asking. These sites often flag and block all phone numbers that are virtual or prepaid.

I've been doing this for about a decade and have never encountered that problem personally. Not saying that it doesn't happen, but it's uncommon enough for at least me to never come across it.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a temp phone number like temp email?

#16

Post by packtreefly »

They exist. Services treat control of the number as equivalent to control of the account, and expect you to maintain that control.

Throwaway phone numbers are not a viable low cost or no cost alternative in most normal user signup scenarios, and they're implemented as a privacy invasive form of spam prevention for that exact reason.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a temp phone number like temp email?

#17

Post by dredmorbius »

fragmede wrote: post #13

I've always wondered what it would take to be my own telephone company and get an entire prefix, so I can give out unique phone numbers, kinda like how's privacy.com does for credit cards.

I've been thinking through possible next steps for telephony as PSTN dies its slow death under spam.

Controlling a VOIP system, in which callers are challenged in different ways, is one approach. One potential challenge would be to issue random, non-sequential, and sparsely populated "extension" numbers, of say 10--20 digits (10 billion -- 100 quintillion values).

You'd offer a distinct value to each individual contact. Those contacts would be permitted to contact only that "extension". This creates a 1:1 pairing of caller to permitted contact number.

Coordinating generation and acceptance is probably the most challenging piece of this. Callers who might attempt contacts from multiple number is another.

(Which itself suggests assigning an extention to a set or range of numbers, e.g., a healthcare network, school or university system, or large business / organisation with which you engage frequently.)

Friends-and-family would have an easier challenge (whitelisted numbers, some in- or out-of-band validation, or simply being requested to enter the last four digits of their own number (robocall spoofs would probably fail that for at least some time.

Effectively, your single public "published" number serves as a gateway to your own telephony network, into which you can establish both valid numbers, restrictions on same, and challenges, as you see fit.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a temp phone number like temp email?

#18

Post by fragmede »

dredmorbius wrote: post #17
fragmede wrote: post #13

I've always wondered what it would take to be my own telephone company and get an entire prefix, so I can give out unique phone numbers, kinda like how's privacy.com does for credit cards.

I've been thinking through possible next steps for telephony as PSTN dies its slow death under spam. Controlling a VOIP system, in which callers are challenged in different ways, is one approach. One potential challenge would be to issue random, non-sequential, and sparsely populated "extension" numbers, of say 10--20 digits (10 billion -- 100 quintillion values). You'd offer a distinct value to each individual conta…

For humans you want to be able to call you, and you are in control of the PBX receiving the call, and the contact card you are giving them, you can give each person a custom extension, and then preprogram that extension into the contact card/phone number you give them, using a comma to add a delay.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a temp phone number like temp email?

#19

Post by dredmorbius »

fragmede wrote: post #18
dredmorbius wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been thinking through possible next steps for telephony as PSTN dies its slow death under spam. Controlling a VOIP system, in which callers are challenged in different ways, is one approach. One potential challenge would be to issue random, non-sequential, and sparsely populated "extension" numbers, of say 10--20 digits (10 billion -- 100 quintillion values). You'd offer a distinct value to each individual conta…

For humans you want to be able to call you, and you are in control of the PBX receiving the call, and the contact card you are giving them, you can give each person a custom extension, and then preprogram that extension into the contact card/phone number you give them, using a comma to add a delay.

Yes, exactly, and I'm aware of that. Your comment should be helpful to others and is appreciated on that count.
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