I’m eligible for the US Lifeline program to get a phone number for free. I would use it on websites that require a phone number, like Discord, which doesn’t accept numbers on services like Google Voice, and replace my personal phone number with it wherever necessary. And I would start using my personal phone number only with friends and family. I would NOT be using a provided lifeline phone, but rather a sim on my iPhone.
Wouldn’t be private.
The providers of it milk every drop of info they can, and there’s next to zero you can do about it. You’d just be adding another company to the mix of crap prying into your actions.
Also, it’s a dick move since the program has funding issues. Save it for someone that needs it. My crippled ass qualifies, but it isn’t a necessity, so I don’t have one for that reason.