Hotmail asking me for my phone number as a “security measure”. Account blocked. How do I access my account? How do I bypass giving up my phone number?

Starting a couple of weeks ago I have been prompted to provide my phone number in order to obtain a so called better protection of my account. Naturally, I have clicked "Next" and ignored it. Now my account is blocked unless I provide my phone number.

I have two questions:

1. How do I access my account again without providing my PERSONAL (and I emphasize PERSONAL) phone number?

2. How do I avoid providing my phone number to Microsoft in the future?

I think that what Microsoft does is an abuse. I don't even want to hear your justification and all that mumbo-jumbo about a better protection of my account. Please don't do this. Do not even try it. You would offend me. Really.

We all know how "safe and confidential" all our data are on internet in general and on Microsoft servers in this particular case. Just to give you an example, in LinkedIn I always get suggestion to send LinkedIn invitations to friend's mail addresses picked directly from my Microsoft Contacts List. How does LinkedIn have this list without my approval? Don't tell me this won't happen any more and I will be better protected if I provide you my phone number. Just don't.

You do not imagine how enraged I am at this moment. You just don't. You can't. I'm doing all that is humanly possible not to insult Microsoft in the worst ways possible. What they do is preposterous.

So, please let me know how do I access my account WITHOUT providing my phone number or some additional e-mail which, by the way, are not your business to know.

In case that you will not agree to let me bypass this "security" question for the future, just provide me an access to my account in order to recover any data and addresses I have there and close the account.

This is really outrageous.

Thank you,

Ioan