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Google users locked out after 15 years' use

businessinsider.com

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Re: Google users locked out after 15 years' use

#261

Post by noneeeed »

grandpoobah wrote: post #147

This article finally prompted me to do what I should've done a long time ago, which is to create a Fastmail account and begin importing my Gmail into it. I've seen this story far too many times, and no longer will I say "yeah but it'll never happen to me". Setting up the import was insanely easy, and my Fastmail account is now configured to enable me to send using my Gmail address from directly within Fastmail. Plus…

This has been on my to-do list for too long. I need to do it this week.

I also need to detach any accounts from using Google for signin.

The next priority will be having a replica of my photo collection somewhere.

Re: Google users locked out after 15 years' use

#262

Post by jpambrun »

_trampeltier wrote: post #211
411111111111111 wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree actually. The issue seems to me that it's a global ban. If Google only locked you out of the functionality you seem to have violated somehow, it would still be a viable strategy to use their services. Imagine losing the ability to comment or upload videos on YouTube because you wrote something offensive or published a video with copyrighted materials. Potentially bad for YouTube creators, but definitely no…

Google is a private company. So they can choose there customers. If they don't want you, they are free to throw you out.

At some point companies are large enough that not having an account is an handicap. IIRC, the supreme court of Canada mentioned in a ruling that Facebook terms are unenforceable because they can't be negotiated and because not having an account in too consequential. In essence, it's not a agreement you freely enter in. It was about forced arbitration.

My point is there are limits that what private companies can do. Stretching the boundaries like that is sure to cause a strong regulatory reaction at some point.

Re: Google users locked out after 15 years' use

#263

Post by cl3misch »

Chilinot wrote: post #239
ksec wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is why I want something like Time Capsule for our Smartphone ( iOS or Android ). >Roughley lost data including emails, photos, documents and diagrams that he had developed for his work. "My account and all its data is gone," he said. Imagine all your photos were in Google Photos and you cant get it any more because you have somehow violated their policy? All the beautiful memories of your boy or daughter when th…

This is why i have setup one of my linux servers to automatically download all photos and videos from my shared google photo albums each night. This allows me and my wife to easily share photos of our daughter with each other, as well as have a backup of everything we have locally on my NAS. Next step is to sync this of to several other storage places in case of cryptolocker or the NAS dies.

How do you access Google Photos from Linux? Is it able to detect only the new pictures?

Re: Google users locked out after 15 years' use

#264

Post by mtber »

Chilinot wrote: post #239
ksec wrote: post #232

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is why I want something like Time Capsule for our Smartphone ( iOS or Android ). >Roughley lost data including emails, photos, documents and diagrams that he had developed for his work. "My account and all its data is gone," he said. Imagine all your photos were in Google Photos and you cant get it any more because you have somehow violated their policy? All the beautiful memories of your boy or daughter when th…

This is why i have setup one of my linux servers to automatically download all photos and videos from my shared google photo albums each night. This allows me and my wife to easily share photos of our daughter with each other, as well as have a backup of everything we have locally on my NAS. Next step is to sync this of to several other storage places in case of cryptolocker or the NAS dies.

I didn't realize this would be possible. Would you happen to have a guide somewhere?

Re: Google users locked out after 15 years' use

#265

Post by jwr »

mbeex wrote: post #151

Many commentators mention e-mail here: I'm a conservative oldtimer with my own domain (since the Ninetees) and associated e-mail, of course. The problem is that it happens to me more and more often that especially with my business contacts in larger companies my e-mail is filtered out / ends up in their junk folders / disappears for other, unspecified reasons. Simple public black lists do not show anything. I am more…

This is something that should be regulated — E-mail being the equivalent of a public utility, large providers should not be able to just refuse it or hide it in junk folders.

Yes, I know spam is a problem, but it's a solvable problem, especially with a small percentage of those providers' revenue.

Re: Google users locked out after 15 years' use

#266

Post by ewokone »

mtber wrote: post #264
Chilinot wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is why i have setup one of my linux servers to automatically download all photos and videos from my shared google photo albums each night. This allows me and my wife to easily share photos of our daughter with each other, as well as have a backup of everything we have locally on my NAS. Next step is to sync this of to several other storage places in case of cryptolocker or the NAS dies.

I didn't realize this would be possible. Would you happen to have a guide somewhere?

bump. that's sound a good alternative! please get us a note on how to a(r)chieve that :)

Re: Google users locked out after 15 years' use

#267

Post by throwawaylolx »

rkalla wrote: post #255
grandpoobah wrote: post #147

This article finally prompted me to do what I should've done a long time ago, which is to create a Fastmail account and begin importing my Gmail into it. I've seen this story far too many times, and no longer will I say "yeah but it'll never happen to me". Setting up the import was insanely easy, and my Fastmail account is now configured to enable me to send using my Gmail address from directly within Fastmail. Plus…

I'm like you - it's been on my todo list for about 8 years... the thing that keeps my exit velocity insanely high is: 1. Entire family on @gmail 2. All Android phones setup to send photos to a shared family@google account so no one needs to 'send me those pictures from Anon's birthday' - it's all getting sent into the same account. I'm not sure how to seamlessly pull off #2 without trying to lift and move the entire…

Yeah, I agree, that's way too inconvenient... I shall wait to get banned first.

Re: Google users locked out after 15 years' use

#268

Post by tetris11 »

beowulfey wrote: post #248
roenxi wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm trying to not make this sound harsh; but you really don't need a government regulator to tell you that centralising all your data with Google, who are providing largely free services, is risky. It is like building a house on the edge of a cliff then falling off the cliff one day. It was always a real possibility. Being locked out of your stuff is quite a likely end of the story with Google.

Google is huge and they run a vast portion of the internet now. If they were to suddenly decide that all FastMail accounts should go to spam tomorrow, any users of FastMail would be SoL—they would be unable to communicate with a huge majority of the internet. They could decide to randomly throw every 5th email that is not a gmail into spam and blame it on other providers having low reliability. Make it random enough…

Why are governments so slow in providing these essential services to their citizens?

The scenario you describe does not seem so unlikely to occur...

Re: Google users locked out after 15 years' use

#269

Post by sneak »

grandpoobah wrote: post #147

This article finally prompted me to do what I should've done a long time ago, which is to create a Fastmail account and begin importing my Gmail into it. I've seen this story far too many times, and no longer will I say "yeah but it'll never happen to me". Setting up the import was insanely easy, and my Fastmail account is now configured to enable me to send using my Gmail address from directly within Fastmail. Plus…

I recently wrote a step by step article about this, for people who might not know how, such as family members, et al. I chose ProtonMail (despite also being a FastMail customer) because I’m a bit concerned about the new Australian encryption key escrow mandate (which I assume affects FastMail) and I like ProtonMail’s “don’t store plaintext” approach, even if it does need special client software.

https://sneak.berlin/20201029/stop-emailing-like-a-rube/

Re: Google users locked out after 15 years' use

#270

Post by doctor_eval »

hilbert42 wrote: post #198
donny2018 wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And if you are even on Office 365 Home account, you actually can interact with human support in case of issues.

Why should you ever need to? MS Office should be so terribly mature by now that you should never need to. By now, it ought to be faultless. Surely, you don't still have problems with it. Do you?

Sure would come in handy if you got locked out of your account though...
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