@ivanyc Sorry to hear that. Is that the phone number verification code you're referring to?

@shawnking Thanks for the feedback. We appreciate your position. Many of us here share your (apparent) concern for data privacy. Here is why we ask for these things. We require a phone number because the shipping carries (USPS, UPS) require a phone number when you ship a package. Also, it helps us prevent fraud as it much harder to fake a verified phone number than an email address. Fraud is big problem. Regarding Google, we use this to automate the order tracking process and make it easier for our users. Please note you can create an account without logging in wth Google. There is a link at the bottom. Lastly, we are not in the personal data business like a lot of SV tech companies. We don't collect personal data and sell it to others. We don't create personal profiles and use them to sell advertising or do even less respectable things. We are attempting to build a business that DOES NOT use the data model for revenue. However, please note that the market is speaking loudly that the data model works as evidenced by the success of Google, Facebook, Amazon and others. Ship.com is attempting to build a company that is NOT built on monetizing personal data but rather providing easy to use services that are useful for our customers. We generate revenue from shipping and other related services supplied directly to our users for their benefit, not off their data. We hope you and others will support us in this endeavor to show the world there is an alternative path to the data model.

@shawnking Thanks for the questions. Its a long response but I think I answer all your questions candidly. One service we provide is that we sell shipping labels from UPS/FedEx/USPS at discounted rates though the app. In order to make this process easy and seamless, it is helpful to have certain data including a phone number. We preload the required data into the "checkout" screen then send the data to UPS/USPS/FedEx to get the pricing for the specific package. Users also have a ShipTag which allows them to ship to another user, perhaps friends and family, without entering any shipment data. Someone you know could send you packages (without entering any shipment data and without seeing your data). This works because we have necessary information on both sides of the transaction, which allows us to provide it to the carries with minimal data entry to complete the transaction. This makes the process easier for the user. If we had to wait for both parties to enter a phone number or address every time there was shipment, not many shipments would be completed. With regard to the login, If you have a Google account our system checks in the background and if it's Gmail then it funnels you back there. Sorry about that, that's how it works now. If you have a non-Gmail account it will work differently but you still need a phone number. And if you do not have a Gmail account the order tracking will not be useful for you but you can still ship packages. Thanks for that feedback about being more descriptive on why we need the phone number. We will change that in the next release. We are quite surprised how many people attempt to use fake emails plus stolen credit cards to access shipping services. It's not like UPS doesn't know where the package is going! Our experience has been that requiring a real phone number reduces fraud to near zero. I appreciate your opinion and your conviction on the data front. Like you, I am value my data privacy and am still fighting the good fight where I can. It has forced me to conclude that some information is more valuable and private than other information. It's also the totality, permanence, and type of the information in a single person/companies hands and subsequently how it is used that matters to me. For instance, in our case we are asking for a phone number, email address, and shipping address to make the product work smoothly. In the old days, there use to be phone books delivered to all homes. This listed the names, addresses, and phone numbers of everyone in a city. Seems crazy maybe, but it was no big deal at the time. Names, addresses, and phone numbers are really still available on-line for everyone to obtain. This information may now seem private, but it really isn't. Credit card companies, banks, phone companies have been collecting and selling our profiles, name and address information for decades as have hundreds of other companies. However, we keep using credit cards, phones and ATMs because of convenience. Phone companies are now tracking our whereabouts 24/7. The US Post office, our own government, sells our address information. As you are probably well aware, Amazon, Google and Facebook already have most people's information (on an intimate level) and the means to use it to create very very accurate profiles and accurate behavioral prediction. That's a little creepy to me and I am concerned about that. In today's word there is a clear tradeoff between privacy and convenience. I can skip the line in the airport if I get Clear, TSA Pre, or Global Entry but I have to give them physical data and personal data (fingerprints, retina scan etc...) that is really permanent data. Maybe I am naive but I won't do that. (Side Note: For international travel into the USA download Mobile Passport, as this allows you to go through different (faster) line at immigration without giving up all your information). From my perspective, addresses, phone numbers and email addresses are not really permanent data. They can easily be changed (to varying degrees) so I personally don't consider that information as important as say fingerprints or DNA or medical records. We are asking for the minimum amount of data to make the product function properly and we are being up front about it so to me that is doing it the right way. Please know I sincerely appreciate and understand your position and appreciate the candid feedback. (My PR people are going to scold me for writing this post).

@disorbo Again, thanks for the response. I appreciate the length you’ve gone to. “One service we provide is that we sell shipping labels from UPS/FedEx/USPS at discounted rates though the app. In order to make this process easy and seamless, it is helpful to have certain data including a phone number.” Understood but that is not made clear. And, as I *never* need shipping labels, it’s not a service I would need and therefore, wouldn’t need to give my phone number (as you can see, I’m protective of it :) ). I fully understand this means I may not be your target customer. But adding this info during the onboarding process or explaining it to the customer when they go to use this particular feature might be more helpful or less confusing. “If you have a non-Gmail account it will work differently but you still need a phone number.” But that’s not what happens when using the iOS version of the app. It just gets “stuck” at “Login with Google.” There’s no option to skip this step. “And if you do not have a Gmail account the order tracking will not be useful for you” To be clear, are you saying that order tracking *only* works if you have a Gmail address? “For instance, in our case we are asking for a phone number, email address, and shipping address to make the product work smoothly.” Yes - in order for the “full experience” of the app, all of that is required. My needs/wants are *much* simpler so I get I’m not your target customer. “Names, addresses, and phone numbers are really still available on-line for everyone to obtain. This information may now seem private, but it really isn’t.” Go ahead - find my personal phone number and call me. Good luck. :) “That's a little creepy to me and I am concerned about that.” Agreed which is why I limit it as much as possible. I lie a lot of forms I have to fill out. :) “In today's word there is a clear tradeoff between privacy and convenience.” Agreed but many companies, not yours I’m sure, take advantage of a consumer’s desire for convenience by hiding the company’s incursion into privacy. “I can skip the line in the airport if I get Clear, TSA Pre, or Global Entry but I have to give them physical data and personal data (fingerprints, retina scan etc...) that is really permanent data. Maybe I am naive but I won't do that.” Me neither. I just get top the airport earlier. :) “(Side Note: For international travel into the USA download Mobile Passport, as this allows you to go through different (faster) line at immigration without giving up all your information).” Thanks for the tip. I’m not allowed into the US but I’ll pass it along. :) “We are asking for the minimum amount of data to make the product function properly and we are being up front about it so to me that is doing it the right way.” Perhaps. But the process isn’t as easy or transparent as you may think - at least from my limited POV. “Please know I sincerely appreciate and understand your position and appreciate the candid feedback.” And I appreciate the same in return. “(My PR people are going to scold me for writing this post).” I’m (nominally) a “member of the media” so I dislike PR people who would scold you over being honest and upfront. :) Thanks Joe!

@armand I am intrigued by this. Can you email me your thoughts at jd@ship.com

@t_w_lee It definitely helps with the prime issue. Glad your using it.

@kylewelsby Thanks for the comment. In addition to tracking packages and sharing tracking information, you can use Ship.com to ship buy USPS and UPS shipping labels and ship packages. We hope you enjoy the tracking and then use is when you need to ship a package. When you buy a shipping label we make a little money.

@niklaspivic666 Hi Niklas! We do allow third-party behavioral tracking, but all data is anonymized. This data gives us information like how many people are visiting our website as well as what features users are engaging with most in the Ship.com app.

@sidnees sounds fair to me! Will you make the app available in Sweden?

@alexander_soroka2 Thanks!

@ray_barrios Great to hear it's working for you!

@allison_richards We like any sentence that has the word genius! Thanks.

@doug_wood1 Thanks for the positive feedback.

@christopher_race Thanks for the comments. You're hired!

@joshua_stanley1 Awesome. Appreciate the feedback.

@dale_fuller It's a good day when you can get a silicon valley legend to comment!

@chronikey That sounds like a great idea — for now, we have a web app that works nearly identically to how the mobile app works too! Head over to ship.com/tracking to log in!

@lashandias Thank you. The reason I needed an app is cause I did not want to use my phone number, but the registration needs a phone number apart from the email. Is there any way of skipping it.

@chronikey Unfortunately you can’t skip the phone number for a couple of reasons. Since you can use the app to buy shipping labels, carriers such as UPS require a phone number for shipment. Second it prevents shipping fraud (which believe it or not is a problem). Thanks for the question.