Gmail asks for a phone number, but you do not have to provide it.
And you should be concerned about Google/Gmail. I was sending an email the other day, and in the body of the message, I typed, "I am sending you the attachment....".
Only I forgot to actually attach the file. Never fear! Google popped a warning message, when I hit "Send", as follows:
"You said you were going to send (name of person) an attachment, yet you did not attach a file. Would you like to try again?"
Two things. No where in the email was the real name of the person Google showed me in the error. And, of course, telling me i was sending an attachment, which I forgot to send, was a bit worrisome as well.
This weekend I am going to play with it to see how much they really are comprehending in a message.
At this point, I would pay for an alternative if I knew the alternative would stay out of my business.