I made up a fake person

Companies lie to you about why they need your data.
They tell you it's for "verification." It's not. It's data harvesting with an official-sounding label.

Here's what happened when I signed up for a service with a completely made-up identity.

00:00 This happened a few days ago
00:42 We need this for "verification"
01:00 They're lying to you
01:50 ISPs sell your data
02:45 Stop handing out your data
03:20 Make up your own mind

The lesson: when a company tells you why they "need" your information, don't take it on good faith. Think before you hand it over, and push back.