I used my Google phone number but I got banned after 4 hours. I don't want to use my actual phone number.

  • YearOfTheCommieDesktop [they/them]
    ·
    2 months ago

    I didnt. sucks to hear that's happening. the whole fucking internet is on such a failed witchhunt for bots that making anonymous accounts is a giant pain nin the ass now.

  • TC_209 [he/him, comrade/them]
    ·
    2 months ago

    I just don't use any apps that require a phone number. Or reject a Protonmail email address for that matter.

    • YearOfTheCommieDesktop [they/them]
      ·
      2 months ago

      protonmail itself requires you verify with a more reputable method if you want to use it to sign up for 3rd party services. It's annoying. Big tech has everyone by the balls ngl

      • TC_209 [he/him, comrade/them]
        ·
        2 months ago

        Thanks for mentioning that, but I'm already aware. Even with that, I've encountered apps that will flat-out refuse to continue their sign-up processes without a Gmail email address or a Facebook account. That's when I just write those apps off as data-harvesting trash and move on.

      • theposterformerlyknownasgood
        ·
        2 months ago

        No they don't lol. You just have to wait a set period of time from making your proton mail to signing up

  • companero [he/him]
    ·
    2 months ago

    I have been using the shitty web client without an account. It's a truly miserable experience.

    For the Ukraine war, I mostly rely on /r/UkraineRussiaReport to aggregate the important posts for me.

  • chickentendrils [any, comrade/them]
    ·
    2 months ago

    If you already know the channels, there are some Telegram -> RSS conversion services on the web that I've used successfully for just observing.

    When I had to use it at one point to get in touch with someone, I used a spare prepaid MVNO SIM card that had been bought with cash (hat + mask optional). Signed up a no-data plan so I had a phone number for 5$/mo to register and then cancelled the plan. Personally I switched to a client on F-Droid called forkgram if I recall which showed up as com.telegram.messenger.something on its app tile, but had all the "premium" features enabled somehow.

    Btw, if you have an old phone lying around, odds are you hack it to can change its IMEI nowadays. And most MNVOs don't use device IMEI allow-lists even though they're reselling networks like AT&T which try that crap.

    • Optimus_Subprime [he/him, they/them]
      ·
      2 months ago

      If you already know the channels, there are some Telegram -> RSS conversion services on the web that I've used successfully for just observing.

      Do you know which services those are? Or are they just normal RSS links?

    • Optimus_Subprime [he/him, they/them]
      ·
      2 months ago

      Yup. I tried to log back in after logging out and it straight up said I was banned.

      EDIT: Telegram said that my google number was banned. Not me myself. Sorry for the confusion.

  • Optimus_Subprime [he/him, they/them]
    ·
    2 months ago

    OK, so I have a janky but workable solution.

    I am following the channels listed in this post: https://hexbear.net/comment/4885763

    For some of them, I can get the RSS feed directly. For the ones that don't have a feed, I have bookmarked the post above and go directly to the shit web client.

    I hate Telegram's requirement so I'm not gonna comply. Fuck it.