This is the "Go y u no generics" of secure messaging.
The answer is always the same:
Phone numbers bootstrap a workable social network for ordinary users. Signal's goal is to transform all ordinary messaging into secure messaging. Not elite secure messaging. All messaging. The most popular messaging application in the world uses phone numbers for identifiers (as, obviously, does SMS). That's the goal they've set for themselves.
The simple answer for a lot of questions about Signal is that they aren't trying to solve every problem, or even many of HN's problems.
If phone numbers are super-problematic for you, use Wire. Consider carefully the privacy tradeoff you'll be making, though.
The answer is always the same:
Phone numbers bootstrap a workable social network for ordinary users. Signal's goal is to transform all ordinary messaging into secure messaging. Not elite secure messaging. All messaging. The most popular messaging application in the world uses phone numbers for identifiers (as, obviously, does SMS). That's the goal they've set for themselves.
The simple answer for a lot of questions about Signal is that they aren't trying to solve every problem, or even many of HN's problems.
If phone numbers are super-problematic for you, use Wire. Consider carefully the privacy tradeoff you'll be making, though.