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Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

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Re: Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

#331

Post by pas »

gesman wrote: post #312

The real problem is betting your business on someone's platform that you absolutely cannot control. I think we have these "OMG (Google|Youtube|Adsense|Paypal|eBay) terminated my account and it's a disaster!" - once a week at least.

There is serious money to be made on these platforms. Just look at how Zynga made millions in that walled garden.

Of course the problem is that this is a very skewed ecosystem/market. Very harsh rules, everyone is incentivized to play as dirty as they can get away with to maximize profit, because it's just a matter of time before the platform owner tries to get their hands on that particular app/idea/service/niche. (Or someone else, or even just a free alternative.)

And similarly, since platforms sell convenience, lifestyle (in case of Apple) as a service, and exactly because of this they want their users dumb, they sacrifice app developers and apps the moment it would cost them some user convenience. (Of course this paradoxically keeps users in the dark with regards to real security and real convenience of computing, but keeps users very motivated to learn whatever the platform owner think should be the new "convenient" way to do things.)

Re: Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

#332

Post by ajross »

rjknight wrote: post #23

It sounds like the problem is with the outsourced developers responsible for the app. It's their account which has been banned - for multiple violations of the ToS. Now, perhaps this is just over-zealous enforcement on Google's part, but it's also possible that these developers have created shady apps before, or are adding shady code to apps developed for others. The OP doesn't seem to know for certain what code is i…

> Nowhere in the post does it suggest that the author has contacted them to find out why their account is banned

Which, to be fair, is by design. The article admits straight up that it's an attempt to get publicity and embarrass Google into reinstating the account. Giving a complete and forthright accounting cuts against that goal, they want to seem as sympathetic and innocent as possible.

And, to be fair, the iPhone set around here is eating it up. Pitchforks are sharpened, torches are lit and the march to the castle is underway.

As to the truth? We really have no idea. I think your theory sounds most plausible -- they hired someone scammy to write the app and Google happened to bring the banhammer down on them while this app was being launched.

Re: Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

#333

Post by pas »

andrewstuart wrote: post #296
hopler wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are describing mandatory binding arbitration, eh?

No, this is an internal ombudsman - Google's own ombudsman who rescues customers when the Google processes frustrate. Lots of companies need an ombudsman because they provide no way out when the normal processes let customers down. It's like a backstop for customer satisfaction. A internal "court of appeal" to help customers out. Kind of like having "a friend in the business", but available to any customer who needs…

How would it remain impartial/objective/effective? How is it different from a real call center support that you have to pay to access?

Re: Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

#334

Post by c22 »

People always complain when they get kicked out of these walled gardens. Of course it's the same people who have dedicated significant effort and resources into making these walled gardens attractive enough to out compete general purpose computing, so I can't feel that sorry for them.

Re: Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

#336

Post by RonanTheGrey »

avip wrote: post #248
SiVal wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Caprices of TOS details, reviews, algorithms, service quality, or whatever are not the real problem. The real problem is when you can't reasonably choose to do business with someone else and move on, as they are free to do with you. Network effects are causing more and more important things to both expand into great significance and to be dominated by a single company (or pair of gatekeepers, both of whom must be app…

Sounds like you’d like to see Google classified as a class II common carrier...

I wonder - how big does a company have to become before a society steps in and says "you have enough power to control and affect the lives of X% of our citizens. Therefore, we must have a say in how you conduct your affairs." I mean, this is for all intents and purposes what regulation is - and the reason for it. Otherwise, set aside the very idea of government as a farce, and populate the world with a dystopian patchwork of private corporations that behave like nations.

This of course can never be true for mom-and-pop. But hell yes it is true for Google.

Re: Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

#338

Post by coleca »

progval wrote: post #275
avip wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So says you. This is what the ToS say: Google may terminate this Agreement with You for any reason with thirty (30) days' prior written notice. In addition, Google may, at any time, immediately suspend or terminate this Agreement with You if: (a) You have breached any provision of this Agreement, any non-disclosure agreement or other agreement relating to Google Play or the Android platform; (b) Google is required to…

> Google may terminate this Agreement with You for any reason with thirty (30) days' prior written notice. The irony's that the mentioned notice was sent to the junk folder by Gmail. (I'm assuming Gmail from the screenshots)

I see this all the time. Legit mail from Google gets stopped by Googles own spam filters on our Corp google apps account. But clearly forged phishing emails purporting to be from our CEO (sent “from” their email address but not from Googles own servers when we use Google apps and have DKIM/SPF setup) gets through to the inboxes.

Re: Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

#339

Post by BucketSort »

userbinator wrote: post #153
BucketSort wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How can you not rely on these platforms if you are building an app? You cannot expect anyone to go download .apk's manually. Users are too coddled to do anything different when downloading/installing the app. The real moral of the story is that we are just peasants on these platforms and can be washed away with a flick of a finger. In the end, become Zuck or get zucked.

How can you not rely on these platforms if you are building an app? You cannot expect anyone to go download .apk's manually. Users are too coddled to do anything different when downloading/installing the app. Then maybe we should start educating users in the other direction. There wasn't this problem before app stores and walled gardens became common.

Educating users? Users follow the path of least resistance. Make anything more complicated, and they will switch to something more convenient. Do you expect users to really be sensitive to the plight of devs?

Re: Google terminated our business via our Google Play Developer Account

#340

Post by crankylinuxuser »

Animats wrote: post #193

The real threat to Google will come when someone sues over this behavior as an antitrust case. This is part of "supply chain" antitrust law. It's sometimes called a "refusal to supply", where a manufacturer refuses to sell to a retailer. That's legal if it is not "part of a predatory or exclusionary strategy to acquire or maintain a monopoly."[1] If you're the only supplier of something, antitrust law starts to apply…

Indeed. And we know from the previous lawsuits there was definite employer based collusion between FAANG to artificially keep engineers' wages low.

How do you deal with the digital mafia? RICO act.

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