The dangers of metadata in messengers
In many countries around the world, phone numbers are attached to biometrics data and personal IDs. Telecommunications companies are either government owned or are heavily regulated, privately owned monopolies who comply with most government requests for backdoors or user data. The idea that today, we still need to give out our phone numbers as primary identifiers to be able to use the leading messaging apps should be frowned upon and actively challenged. It’s necessary to advocate for private alternatives in messaging that do not rely on user IDs of any kind - and yes, it’s possible.