If your IP (and possible your browser) looks “suspicious” or has been used by other users before, you need to add additional information for registration on gitlab.com, which includes your mobile phone number and possibly credit card information. Since it is not possible to contribute or even report issues on open source projects without doing so, I do not think any open source project should use this service until they change that.
Screenshot: https://i.ibb.co/XsfcfHf/gitlab.png
It’s about data harvesting and selling not safety or any other mentioned.
Gitlab was getting attacked with thousands of spam accounts. Trying to fix the damage almost killed the company
So now not harassment, but thousands of spam accounts