Is this a Hacker Trick or has Facebook gone Mad?

Moments ago I posted this on my Facebook page - yes, after finally getting back in!

For some inexplicable reasons known probably only to Mr. Zuckerberg's assistant's sister's ex-lover's grandfather's dog that channels some ancient Greek hero, I was barred from my page unless I offered up my phone number. Since I never gave Facebook any phone number, it would not have matched anyway. So I was offered, hours later, the opportunity to identify the pictures of my friends. Because I do not routinely peruse the albums of my business associates I have no idea how their children or pets, houses or vacation destinations look. Too many wrong selections and I was booted again. No problem, I did my proper work for my day job. Back again, more pictures to i.d., but I was given enough that I could identify and here I am!

(Along with great [that should be "great"] new changes, comes another round of security checks and the usual paranoia. Have a back-up plan, techies. The day will come when things won't work and you will be alone in the dark.)

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    Stephen Swartz ‎(And...I got a message pop up that said that the reason for the security check, in part, was to be sure everyone had only 1 page. I suppose with the new list feature, there is no longer any need to have a page for your family and a page for your perversions. Just so you know....)
    

    
    

Earlier today, I posted this bit of text, ranting about the misunderstanding I and Facebook were having:

Hey Everybody,

I thought I'd ask: Have you gotten a box pop up when you logged on to Facebook that asks you to log on again and when you click on it to log in AGAIN it asks for your phone number? I am not allowed to proceed until I give a phone number. I remember FB always hassling me to give a phone number "in case I forget my password" but I never forget my password.

I'm wondering if this is a hacker/spammer thing to get people's phone number. The explanation "Facebook" gives is that they want to assure that everyone has only one page.

Anyway, I have 3 pages: one for family/relatives, one for grad school friends, and one as author (plus my fan page). This has appeared on one but not yet on the others.

Let the world know I am locked out until I hand over my precious phone number. (I'm not going to give up my phone number because nobody needs to know that unless I want a call from them.)

Have a nice day!

NOW...in the alternative...Facebook wants me to identify my friends by their pictures...THEN it shows me pictures of their vacation destinations...no people!


I can't imagine how those who have thousands of friends can identify every picture shown.


The point, obviously, is that it is simply easier to give up your phone number to the global community, thereby sacrificing yet another bunch of numbers to corporate marketing, hackers and spammers, and stalkers.

All is calm now...but there is, like the urge to attend to the bathroom, always tomorrow!