Is debate.org Safe?

Anyone who said that you get censored or they mods will unfairly ban are probably people who thought it was 4chan and could say any stupid thing that popped into their pea-sized brain. Also, it should be noted that mobile phones are not needed for using the site, and simply asking the moderator about it will remove the SMS from the process entirely. Honestly, I could bet anything banned members (out of control members who insulted everyone at every interval, trolls that took everything too far, etc.) are just visiting this page to downvote all of the comments saying the good and factual things about the website.

This website is a good debate website. However, users are required to input their SMS numbers--or send a private message to the website's administrator--in order to vote on debates on this website; this may be a privacy concern as we do not know if the website will give out the SMS numbers to third-party companies. Also, the website may contain content unsuitable for children, as political debates can get pretty heated; the website includes user-generated content, so there may be inappropriate content on the website.

You have to give your cell number and use SMS confirmation in order to sign up to this site. This costs people money, and is particularly unfair to those outside the US or without a plan. I wouldn't trust them with my number anyway since I can't know for sure whether or not they'd actually keep it confidential and not give it away to spam companies. Thanks but no thanks.