[p2p-hackers] cellcash

[Duncan B. Cragg]

Lucas Gonze wrote:
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/25/technology/circuits/25pogue.html?pagewanted=2 
> 
> ...
> To prevent spammers and other abusers from snapping up Gmail accounts by 
> the thousands, Google has designed a clever safeguard: when you apply 
> for a Gmail account, you must provide a cellphone number. Google sends a 
> code to your phone, which you use to complete the registration.
> ...
> 
> This is hashcash, almost, except that what it uses for a backstop isn't 
> CPU time but the fact that cell calls are always metered.
> 
> Those Google fellows sure are clever.
> - Lucas
> 

This may seem innocent and shallow, but maybe there's a deeper
Google strategy at work:

    http://blogs.thedeal.com/2005/08/google_quietly_.html

I'm no conspiracy theorist, but getting all those mobile phone
numbers sure looks like another juicy pile of data for their
mining algorithms...

Duncan