Give a Google Voice number whenever you sign up for a store’s loyalty program—or go on a firstdate By Malena Carollo
The Gentle January series shares one practical privacy tip a day from a Markup staffer who actually uses the advice in their own life.
As a privacy-conscious reporter, I like to have a little separation between my work and home life. One of the ways I do this is by having a Google Voice number in addition to my personal number. Google Voice is a voice over internet protocol (VOiP) service that gives you a real phone number attached to your Google account. You can use it exactly as you would your regular number—calling, SMS texting, getting voicemails—without giving out your actual phone number. And you can use it to sign up for Signal, the encrypted messaging app, for an extra layer of anonymity. If you get spammed, doxxed, or harassed, you can relinquish the Google Voice number and get a new one.
I got my first Google Voice number after grad school while working in a newsroom that didn’t have separate work phones. It’s made me more comfortable giving out my information to sources. But I’ve found countless uses in my personal life, too. If I have to list my phone number to a store for rewards benefits or the post office for missed deliveries, I give my Google Voice number. I even used it to protect myself when I was on dating apps: my fiance still talks about how I broke it to him a few months in that he didn’t have my real phone number.
If you’re interested in setting one up for yourself, Google’s how-to guide walks you through it step by step. For a more intensive (and intense) guide to an anonymous phone, check out my colleagues’ advice on how to take your phone off the grid.
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Have your own practical privacytip?
Email it to [email protected], along with how you’d like to be identified. We will highlight some reader tips near the end of Gentle January.
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