There are parts of the world where people don't use email like we do. Here we tend to keep few email addresses and we typically don't mind signing up using a primary email address. In other places, they trust no one regarding email so they use throwaway email addresses. This makes it hard when someone comes back to the services as they don't know which email they signed up with.

If you a like Twitter and trying to cross-reference people's email/phone from others address book to get people to follow each other, the throwaway email accounts are worthless compared to more stable phone numbers.

I saw a few minutes of the presentation. The presenter argued that some percentage of world's population does not use email, but everyone has a phone.

Really, they made that argument? So when I'm logging into some website, I'm not going to have access to my email? Bad logic.

I have met many younger people (especially outside the US) that do not have email. They see email as a tool for old people to communicate.

A good comparison would be "So when I'm logging into some website, I'm not going to have access to myspace?"

Ehh, I don't think that means email is dying for younger people. I'm 20 and email is essential for a lot of things. Everyone I know (which is a fairly broad scope of people) has email and uses it. Everyone gets email at some point, too - so the only challenge is making younger people realize the ubiquity of email earlier on.

> "So when I'm logging into some website, I'm not going to have access to myspace?"

Which is even less likely.

Using that logic the confirmation should be sent by whatsup or as a facebook message instead.

Counter-point: It's hard to track SMS after a few carrier hops, especially in third world countries. There is no guarantee on delivery to recipient unlike email.

Exactly, some carries drop sms on different occasions and you never know the status.

Also I would argue if you target ppl who don't have email you shouldn't require any authenticated accounts.