[Gander5739]

Because accounts are free, and could still be used to abuse as a free endpoint, with a little trickiness.

[gzread]

Don't you need a Google account and to get a Google account you need a phone number?

"You're posting too fast! Please slow down."

[Gander5739]

You don't need a phone number to create a google account. (Though the account creation flow is inconsistent in this, in sone situations it will require a phone number, in some it won't.)