Phone Number alias / masking
It would be nice to have a app from Proton which gives a virtual phone number. (Like Google Voice)
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707947 commented
The proposed solution has our unequivocal endorsement. Existing security measures, like the Cloaked platform, provide mechanisms to shield email addresses and telephone numbers. Nevertheless, if the Proton suite were able to deliver this capability as a service, it would markedly diminish the chances of spam, phishing attacks, and account takeovers in the event of a website breach.
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M commented
A Google Voice replacement that offers calls, texting, and voicemail on the web/all platforms, in addition to phone number alias/masking.
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[Deleted User] commented
This feature would be awesome. Phone numbers are one of the greatest privacy risks to individuals. Email masking and phone masking would make most signups very secure from data breaches and third-party companies that buy your data. Also, aliases for credit or debit cards (like privacy.com, ironvest.com or cloaked.com) would be another great feature. Definitively worth considering and implementing.
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John Carpenter commented
Phone number masking is one of the last, vital aspects left for Proton to tackle in preserving internet anonymity across most of the web. With password management, email aliases, and phone aliases, most signups are secure from data brokers and data breaches.
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Nyxiad commented
If Proton makes a chat app, then this should just be integrated into the chat app.
Purpose:
Allow users to text and make calls through an app separate from the phone number tied to their phone and access this on desktop and mobile.
Paid users would have access to multiple virtual phone numbers/aliases that could be associated with their different contacts. This does not mean that you have to use a virtual phone number to send messages; virtual phone numbers should only be necessary when sending SMS messages.Personally, being able to send texts from my laptop is a big deal as it minimizes the interruption. Right now, taking my phone out of my pocket to respond to a text and seeing all of the other notifications I have pulls me out of my productive headspace and it takes me a while to focus again. I used to have a Mac so I miss that feature all of the time.
Implications:
In order for this app to be fully functional, Proton would also have to build the functionality from these other uservoice posts: -
Nyxiad commented
The way Cloaked handles this would be ideal. Unfortunately, I don't think there's any way to implement the same standard of privacy and security that the rest of Proton's services have with phone aliases
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lmt_uv commented
Concur, I would most definitely use a Proton Phone Alias (masking) service. But not just a phone alias but one that works,e.g., is accepted by Google.
I already have a legitimate virtual number that forwards texts, calls to my actual phone number, but Google rejects even that! I find it unconscionable that Google is allowed to get away with insisting on users real phone numbers as they are so closely tied to one's online identity and thus a potential security risk. This is why I refuse to open a Gmail or YouTube account or any other online account that demands real phone numbers. I would LIKE to, but only if I can use a phone number alias that protects my real phone number. Fingers crossed Proton will make it happen!
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Tylerjohn commented
I would love a feature like this. Handing out my personal number for setting up accounts is just far too open these days. I would love to be able to generate a temp number through proton pass similar to the hide-my-email alias creation.
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CD commented
As others have said, I would also be willing to pay extra on top of my subscription for this feature. Scammers have really stepped up their game, and phishing techniques, and it makes me gun-shy to give any site or business my phone number. Having a throw-away I can generate, hand out, and dispose of at any time would be a very powerful feature.
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Curtis Beebe commented
Exactly. This would be the hide-my-email feature of Proton Pass except with phone numbers. Users would be able to select hide-my-phone and an alias phone number would be generated for the account. All communication to that number, texts, calls, etc., would be forwarded to the users real phone number. The exact same concept as hide-my-email, but for phone numbers. This way, if users get too many spam texts or calls to a hide-my-phone alias they can simply turn off that alias and BOOM, no more spam. Firefox Relay also has this feature (alas, it's only for premium accounts). Not in a separate app though. I would like to see this integrated into Proton Pass.
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domca.hracek+uservoice@protonmail.com commented
Agree. I like how cloaked.com does it
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Skaplanet commented
I would like this within 1 app as part of my subscription as it would ease identity & privacy management. Not having my identity data spread over multiple suppliers & subcriptions
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Skaplanet commented
Virtual phone numbers & email aliases functionality embedded & fully integrated in Proton Pass, (Like the Cloaked app) not separate app SimpleLogin
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B commented
I had this with firefox relay and it was awesome not having websites force me to give out my real #
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Richard I Porter commented
Necessary. PLEASE do this. Longtime subscriber asks. Cell Phone numbers are far and away the greatest privacy and security risk to individuals everywhere. A unique largely persistent geographic identifier. I
Alternatives to proton- provided virtual number are
1) google voice (security great privacy terrible)
2) Sudo - good privacy, but massively featured and becomes a direct proton competitor in general. -
Daniel Hill commented
I would love the option to have alias phone numbers which link to my main number built within my proton platform
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joe commented
New features worth making:
1. Alias phone numbers
2. Alias (credit,debit) cards -
Sion commented
Should be two way routing like cloaked.app
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TacoCrook commented
I would be willing to pay extra for this as an add-on to my unlimited package.
Right now it's either Burner app - don't trust them, Firefox relay - feels like I'm paying extra for overlapping services. This is the missing link in a lot of my online services in terms of privacy - I can give them an aliased email, a fake name, use a VPN - but they still want my actual number for SMS verification.
My number's been leaked in the past already as part of breaches from other services I was signed up with. If I can get a 'mask' number to use when I sign up for things I don't need to worry about that happening again.
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[Deleted User] commented
I would use this if integrated with proton unlimited. Firefox Relay requires you to purchase a package deal in order to get phone aliases but I would be paying for redundant features that already come with proton unlimited.