Yes all good and valid points, user privacy will have to be top of mind!

The problem that I see with doing the number requirement / verification at a later stage like withdrawing the funds, goes in line with the point that @rolznz brought up, that not many people will remember the url of the site where they can claim their tips/gift.

So my reasoning for phone number verification is to remove the burden of creating an account with a user name or email address and provide the experience to the user of claiming the funds and know they can recover them anytime using their phone number.

Also with phone verification there will be direct line of communication via sms to do the initial light on-boarding and be able to send reminders about funds expiring. So if someone gifts me Sats I scan the QR Code verify my phone number I get an initial sms with a 2FA to get access to the funds and in case I close the website and I don’t remember the URL, I can always reference back the initial sms to click the link and gain access again.

I really appreciate all the interaction with this, all questions and concerns are only going to shape the idea in the right direction!