There are sites out there that generate unsecure email addresses on the fly—is there an equivalent for phone text messages? Something where I can go to the site, enter xxx-xxx-xxxx, give the same number to someone to send a text to, then return to the site to re-enter the number and view the text.
If this makes no sense, remember that my knowledge of texting is extraordinarily limited. I’m assuming that at some point there is a link between the text message system and the Internet in general or created by the hoped-for site’s owner.
You can create one-off e-mail addresses because the number of potential e-mail addresses is essentially unlimited. But with phone numbers there are a limited number of valid area codes, and each area code has a limited number of valid exchanges. If you allowed people to create random one-off phone numbers, we’d run out of valid phone numbers in about three days.
On the other hand, you can create a valid permanent phone number that is internet-based with Google Voice. It’s not designed to be a throw-away number, but it’s free, so I guess theoretically you could make as many of them as you wanted and treat them as throw-away numbers. Your Google Voice number can receive text messages and voice calls. You can receive them on your computer, or have them forwarded to your phone.
Close, but I was hoping for something to help maintain (the illusion of) anonymity. If I sent the same number to *Sneed’s Feed and Seed *as I did to the Boneless Chicken Ranch, and they in turn sell their information to a data aggregater, it can figure that much more detail about my special little snowflake of a life (e.g. I raise boneless chickens). If I order something from either place my name will be attached, which will then link the number to any other database I’m in.
Plus, I’ve signed up for a Google account. During the set-up, I’ve been asked for a … phone number.
I’m still confused. If you’re talking about a website that can receive texts for you and aggregate data (text response to… type of things), then it’s possible.
But you mean an anonymous number? I don’t think so. I feel like they’re spoken for.
I’ll use Magicjack as an example, because I haven’t used Google Voice.
When you register your Magicjack doohickey, it assigns you a phone number based on a handful of parameters. I was thinking that a Website could do something similar–tell you that your one-off cell number is, you give that to the service you’re expecting a text from, then you (or anyone else) can go to the Web site, re-enter the number and read incoming texts.
As I understand it, no. Probably because the prohibitive cost of reserving a large enough bank of phone numbers.
(The whole thought behind this is that every once in a while a company wants to send me a text msg. Security of the message isn’t important. What is important is that I get charged for incoming texts and after a ton of spam texts had my carrier turn it off (I never text anyone). Turning it back on and off is a PITA, so was hoping to find a lower-hassle way out.)
From what I understand, the ease of creating means that reading is similarly easy (though there are obviously exceptions). This is distinct from insecure addresses, which are email addresses that lack self-confidence.
Tried–exasperatedly tried. Funny thing is, one of the places I’m talking about is a bank. They want to send a text confirmation number that I need to put in after requesting a transfer. No, not funny. When I said I don’t always have access to a cell phone the op suggested I borrow one. Not sure what kind of security it adds, but it’s a requirement.