Take a number, says new social network

Anonymous colonises 'Social Number', where you're a number not a name

By Simon Sharwood, APAC Editor, 21st December 2012

Ensure Ease of Recovery with Asigra’s Agentless Software

If you're tired of old schoolmates looking you up on Facebook and then bombarding you with endless inspirational junk and/or heart-tugging slactivism but still crave online interaction, a new social network on which you are just a number might be for you.

“Revealed” this week, “Social Number” doesn't offer users instantly recognisable handles, with its signup process instead presenting a telephone keypad on which one can enter digits – and try to match them with letters if they wish – to concoct a user name of between six and ten digits. One can upload a photograph to attach to a profile, a feature that seems to defeat the purpose of a private social network. Images on the site observed by Vulture South have shied away from photos of members and instead chosen avatars.

Once signed up, there's a Twitter-style stream of consciousness feature, groups and the ability to find “pals”.

There's no advertising on the site, but the signup process does ask for details of your work history and offer to shop you around for jobs.

The point of the site, other than allowing you and your good buddy 598-317-25 to talk about just how hot 322-864-119 is, is anonymous social interaction.

“Today, there is very little privacy on any social network, resulting in employees being fired and government interrogations for free thinking,” CEO and co-founder “M.K” said in a press release. “On Social Number, your number is your only identity, showcasing the true value of anonymity."

Little else is known about Social Number, which describes itself “a Delaware corporation headquarted [sic] in Silicon Valley.” There is indeed a Delaware corporation registered with the name Social Number, but its agent is a company that seems to do little more than register Delaware corporations, leaving the trail to “M.K.” somewhat cold.

That's the way M.K. clearly wants it. Whether he also wants Anonymous to colonise his or her network is harder to say, but 83 folks willing to identify as Anons have joined since the network's December 19th launch. They're not saying anything interesting.

Lastly, Social Number 982-537-2374 remains unused at the time of writing. Perhaps the man himself will claim it? ®

Cloud based data management