[p2p-hackers] cellcash

[Wes Felter]

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.

(I didn't read the article or try this out myself. Sorry.)

Is it a call or an SMS? SMSes are pretty cheap and can be processed 
automatically.

Can you sign up for multiple Gmail accounts using the same cell number? 
My guess would be no, in which case Google is imposing a much larger 
cost than just an SMS.

(Looking at the Web page answers some of these questions. It is an SMS, 
and "Phone numbers are also stored to manage the number of accounts 
created per phone.")

Wes Felter - wesley at felter.org