What's the deal with gitlab (and github?) security?

I just wanted to raise an issue (ie. report a bug) in some software package hosted on gitlab. I have a github account, but not a gitlab one. Whenever I log in from a new device (github), I need to "authorize" the new device. Now, I tried "logging in" on gitlab using the offered github account/password authentication. I got the usual "confirm this email address" thing. I did that. Then it wanted my phone number! At this point I gave up. Do they also need my social security number, date of birth and passport number? Maybe my mother's maiden name? What's the need for all this two-factor-authentication level security?