What the heck?? Facebook is holding my Facebook to RANSOM...

[KellyHopter]

Have asked other people and googled this and cantfind anyone else with the same problem, surely it cant just be me?

I cant access my FB account unless I attach a telephone number to the account. Well I dont bloody well want to give them a phone number!

Whats it all about, anyone know?

is there not a tiny little bit underneath where it wants you to put in your number that says 'skip'

*"Please complete a security check.
Security checks help keep Facebook trustworthy and free of spam.
Use a phone to verify your account

The phone number you use can only verify one account. Once you enter your number, you'll receive a code that you'll be able to enter on Facebook to verify your account. Your phone number will only be used to verify your account and will not be shared with anyone without your consent.

Enter a phone number

Please click the button below to continue.

Why am I seeing this?."*

No, this is all it says.

Just give it a phone number that's near you at the time - it will then ring it straight away and you punch in the number - doesn't need to be your number at all. Might even work with a payphone.

I've had to do that before now, maybe even for FB and it really is okay.

If there's a reason why you don't want to share the number at all (fleeing dv/whatever) then PM me the code and I'll PM your my desk number.

And that doesn't' even answer your question, sorry.

It'll be to prevent automated sign-ups from Bad People.

Thats really kind Madeup - I know its silly but its more the principle of it. Its not a new account, and no one else ive asked has had to do it.

There is really no way of accessing the acount without doing this and I think its wrong

You may be able to send them a message somehow and get them to unlock it some other way, but their processes are quite tortuous (they're not really a touchy-feely customer-services type organization).

Ultimately they are providing a 'free' service to you (providing they can serve you ads, so you're paying with your attention/eyeballs and become the product) and they, in order to maintain the value (lack of spam for example) that they offer to their product (remember, you're the product) they have to keep the network clean. This is one mechanism to make it harder for Bad People to sign-up and spam the crap out of us.

There are more open alternatives - Diaspora (joindiaspora.com/ / blog.diasporafoundation.org/- (currently mourning the death (apparent suicide) of one of its founders; Ilya Zhitomirskiy) for example, is designed for openness from the start.

(do all the '()'s make it really easy to read? :-))

Did you ever get this sorted. When I was on holiday in Spain last summer a woman had this happen to her in the hotel internet cafe when she tried to log on. I know she received a code by text on her phone that allowed her to log in.

I have been asked before but have had other options too, such as security questions. I dont have a mobile phone with internet access ( I have an antique PAYG brick) so was reluctant to issue my number also. Like you say its the sodding principle.

Hope you resolved it but please come back and tell us what happend.