[Freak_NL]

Signal is also effectively limited to smartphones due to the phone number requirement, making it even less free.

[Vinnl]

You can use Signal desktop - all you need is a phone to receive a confirmation text message, but that needn't be a smartphone.

[dcbadacd]

Even that is too much to give to a chat application. In most cases a phone number is tied to a person, requiring that is pretty much requiring a full name.

[rascul]

I guess one could sign up with a Google Voice number or something, but the whole idea of requiring a phone number for anything not related to a phone is just ridiculous to me.

Even more ridiculous when Walmart almost wouldn't sell me tires because I didn't have a phone number. It took three different managers to figure out how to put in 000-000-0000.