Youtube

Who is Youtube? Are they with the NSA? Why do they require a telephone number to verify accounts? Most places only need an email addy but Youtube wants personal identifiable info.

Info phishing... they can sell your info to companies that then contact you about loans and spam you with sex emails.


When I joined YouTube, I immediately got thousands of emails from pharmacies and automated phonecalls from loan companies.

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The other thing that can happen is they use your email address to find your Facebook account and if you're not secretive enough on FB with non-friends, they can look up your friends list... and if your friends don't have certain info kept secret then they too get spammed and get funny phonecalls as well.

I don't think they do require a telephone number to verify: there's a Skip button on that page. It's just an option that allows you to forego lots of checks and limitations. Kind of clever, really, because it's simple for most individuals to get through, but extremely difficult for spammers (particularly given that they get by on sheer volume).

That's just BS. I recently emailed Coleman about a stove-top percolator and they asked for my phone number. I got a call a few days later from someone I've never heard from before trying to sell something.


A week later I emailed Coleman again asking about a product (I used a different email address). This time I gave them the number to the state police.

I must have missed the skip button.

I spent more than an hour trying to upload a video to Youtube and then they ask for my phone number to verify my account. After I give them my number they tell me the video is too long. They should have told me that before I gave them my number.


I had downloaded that same video from Youtube which they now claim is too long.

Did you verify your number? They ask for your number so they can send you a text message, which you enter back into the site to confirm that you own it. After that, you're verified, so then you can upload a longer video.

I did verify the number. I'm now spending another hour or so uploading the same video to see if it gives.


I expect to get a call in a few weeks asking me to buy anti-virus software or something. Fortunately, I gave them a Magic Jack number which I can easily change for $10 if I need to.

Do you own stock in Youtube, Yoda?

Nope. And I have some pretty huge gripes with the way they've been handling their accounts in general--just not with this part, which I think is pretty helpful and plenty straightforward if you don't rush through it or jump to conclusions.

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Always read the fine print.

Meanwhile, I'm uploading a 50 minute video... for the second time.


Only 99 minutes remaining.