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Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

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Re: Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

#271

Post by fouric »

I propose a new heuristic called "The HN PR Law" or something to that effect: no response from a company on a negative PR incident should be taken seriously after an article on said incident hits the front page of HN.

Given Google's track record and the ranking of this post, they'll probably reinstate the app within a few hours, and I propose that we act as if they had not - only acting on issues after they have been exposed to a massive audience signals a desire for public positive perception without any actual care for users, and users shouldn't have to go to social media to get their problems solved.

Edit: a bit late, but I called it: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20829484

Edit^2: technically, Google hasn't reinstated the app yet, but I think that the idea still stands

Re: Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

#272

Post by theandrewbailey »

ldng wrote: post #178
cateye wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This happened more than 10 years ago to me too. Actually, my Adsense account is still in a strange way inaccessible while I'm using all other Google services like Gmail. I tried in all ways to get an explanation why my account was locked down and what I could do to resolve it: without any success. The whole situation is just depressing because there is literally no way to discuss it in a reasonable manner other than…

Yes there is! At least for Americans. I can not understand why these practices have not lead by now to a class action suit?

License agreements and terms of use forbid class action lawsuits.

Re: Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

#273

Post by specialist »

dollar wrote: post #3

The easiest way to identify a monopoly is to look at how badly a company can treat its customers and still get away with it. My company has a half dozen stories like this about Google in the last year alone. Know what Google is doing to its AdSense partners on a massive scale? They wait until your site has just under the earnings when they have to write you a check, then they terminate your AdSense account for “polic…

Note the lack of appeal, opportunity for recourse.

Fair and impartial courts is one of the prerequisites for open, efficient markets.

--

Trust busting of Big Tech should focus on eliminating the self dealing, conflicts of interest, anti-competitive behavior, and fraud.

I don't care if Google & YouTube are together or apart. Ditto Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp.

I do care that one entity controls an entire ad network, using it to better compete against their own customers, and to squelch competition.

Re: Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

#274

Post by ebg13 »

eightysixfour wrote: post #262
dollar wrote: post #3

The easiest way to identify a monopoly is to look at how badly a company can treat its customers and still get away with it. My company has a half dozen stories like this about Google in the last year alone. Know what Google is doing to its AdSense partners on a massive scale? They wait until your site has just under the earnings when they have to write you a check, then they terminate your AdSense account for “polic…

> Our client was perfectly reputable, ran multi million dollar ad campaigns on television and radio, and was FDA approved. I’m not trying to be a jerk here, but it sounds like your client is selling dietary supplements which Google has been (IMO rightfully) aggressively removing.

> > was FDA approved

> it sounds like your client is selling dietary supplements

The FDA doesn't "approve" dietary supplements, so either the person you're replying to is lying, ill informed (which I suspect), or it's not supplements.

Re: Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

#275

Post by huffmsa »

mannykannot wrote: post #269
Majromax wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But maybe our use cases are the outliers, and the new search is what works for most people. I think it's a probability problem more often expressed in terms of medical tests / false positives. If a million people search for but 1% of those make a typo and search for instead, whereas a thousand people deliberately search for , Google's observation of a search for is 90% likely to be a typo. However well-intentioned,…

I just tried "wrod". Google asks if I meant "word", but it does perform a search for "wrod".

Wrod is probably common enough and has enough real results that it works.

"Sulliven", a mount in northwestern Scotland, gets "fixed" to Sullivan.

It does work when quoted though

Re: Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

#276

Post by [deleted] »

mirimir wrote: post #210

The Google and Apple app stores and support services ought to be regulated as public utilities. Because they effectively constitute a duopoly regarding apps for mobile devices. That would prevent them from arbitrarily refusing to provide services and list apps in their stores. They could refuse, but only for permitted reasons, and with a clear appeal process. The Public Utility Commission of Texas has a pretty clear…

[deleted]

Re: Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

#277

Post by gargravarr »

eitland wrote: post #254
Majromax wrote: post #234

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But maybe our use cases are the outliers, and the new search is what works for most people. I think it's a probability problem more often expressed in terms of medical tests / false positives. If a million people search for but 1% of those make a typo and search for instead, whereas a thousand people deliberately search for , Google's observation of a search for is 90% likely to be a typo. However well-intentioned,…

The real problem here is that Google does this even when we use double quotes and the verbatim option :-/ I switched to DDG a while ago, -it is about as good as Google now, much thanks to Googles own effort ower the last decade to nerf its own search engine. Since they are now about equal I use the one that doesn't track me and doesn't support Google.

I've just changed my browser default to DDG. Think I'm gonna start detox'ing myself from Google.

Re: Google just deleted my nearly 10-year-old free and open-source Android app

#279

Post by crankylinuxuser »

qwertox wrote: post #230
NKCSS wrote: post #41

My game ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nkcss.shad... ) was suspended because I did not have a link to my privacy policy in the app (required when you serve ads for some reason). My game only shows an ad every other time you abort a game or ask for a hint, if you just play without hints/aborting games, you'll never see an ad. It was up for about 6 months, ~1000 installs, then it was taken offline.…

"(required when you serve ads for some reason)" A privacy policy is always required.

Privacy policies are a joke.

"We do nothing with your data. This agreement can change at any time without notice."

So... They change it to "do anything they want", do the obnoxious thing, and then change it back.

What we need is teeth in the forms of law with regards to privacy. The GDPR is a good avenue.

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