Google Privacy: Has anyone noticed that Google has started asking for phone numbers to attach to new email addresses?

I have a few email addresses…personal, business, blogging, etc etc. I launched a new blog and wanted to get another (separate) email for the blog. They asked me for my phone number. I thought that was a little too invasive. I have never had to give my number for an email address before!

Is this only in the UK? Anyone else experienced it? I suppose my concern is that this is more Big Brother stuff. You post something that is controversial (politically or voice an opinion that may not agree) and there you go. I suppose that there is the argument of “finding tawdry members of society” involved in bad activities but I often wonder if there isn’t another agenda of completely tracking everyone where they are.

Anyone else experience this? This is for an email address——not an internet service. Do other email services do this? (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc?)

Thanks.