[Walf]

Link is just payments processing done by Stripe.

https://stripe.com/payments/link

If you've bought anything online recently, especially if it's not obvious who's collecting the payment details or it looks like first party on the checkout page, you've probably used Stripe.

[ryandrake]

But in those cases you don't have to sign up for it, or create an account with SMS verification. That should be totally unacceptable.

Imagine going to a grocery store and when you want to buy your pack of soda and chips, they tell you: Woah there, pardner! You need an account with MyPaymentProvider before you pay for those groceries! Oh, and you'll need to set up a password and give them your mobile number...

[Walf]

Yeah, I don't love it. Forcing phone numbers is the worst, as I've practically never needed to call or be called about a purchase, but it's a de facto ID.