{
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  "path": "/t/signal-is-working-on-a-standalone-version-for-signal-desktop-that-does-not-require-a-mobile-phone/37490#post_8",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-29T20:14:10.000Z",
  "site": "https://discuss.privacyguides.net",
  "tags": [
    "Sim Farms",
    "Archive"
  ],
  "textContent": "**On the topic of spam:**\n\nI don’t think they really took advantage of using the mobile platform for spam prevention—it’s easier to emulate a browser than a phone (see Sim Farms / Archive).\n\nYou find a phone number of an average person and anyone can find their passwords, emails, real name, and home address just from that. Signal makes it significantly easier to sign up than something like WhatsApp—needing only a phone number, and not necessarily one with a good reputation. Given that, I think the real way to prevent spam and phishing is to push hard on usernames. Phone numbers leak all the time, and everyone knows them; usernames you can change for each new contact or whenever you get spam, and they don’t really leak as they aren’t used online.\n\nI do admit it was a good idea for Signal to require a phone number for the contact-based network effect. But once you’ve completed moving your contact list onto Signal, there’s no need to share a phone number again.",
  "title": "Signal is working on a standalone version for Signal Desktop that does not require a mobile phone"
}