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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

#491

Post by hedora »

a3n wrote: post #434
fullstop wrote: post #308

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I got gmail accounts for my kids after they were born. My youngest, 12, attempted to sign in from a Windows PC in our house and was told that they could not verify that it was her. Keep in mind, this is the same public IP address that we've had for ages. I am the recovery contact for the account since she is a minor, and have filled out the forms several times now, even giving the exact date and the "verification cod…

The only thing worse than hanging your identity on @gmail.com is @comcast and the like. If you can, your own domain backed by a fastmail or a proton is the sweet spot of easy and flexible, or at least an @fastmail, @proton or similar. With payment comes the possibility of human support, which I have received easily from fastmail.

I have my email going to my own domain, but can’t figure out how to ground it out in anything other than someone else’s tld.

So, now I’m in a situation where, if my gmail account gets banned, and the DNS provider decides to reset my password, then I’m permanently locked out of everything. I could point my DNS provider at my “real” email address, but that’s even worse, since needing to update the MX record could lock me out.

Does anyone have any creative solutions to this problem?

Re: Google users locked out after 15 years' use

#492

Post by slashdev »

varispeed wrote: post #378
_imba_ wrote: post #359

Not completely related to personal accounts being banned, but something that happened to me recently: I started a side business with some friends during lockdown. We created an online store selling some hard-to-get long tail items, and almost instantly got some traction and growth thanks to Google Shopping. A month ago we received one of these generic automated mails that our account is banned and we were misrepresen…

I had a great blog that started getting me over $2000 per month from Google Ads (several million views), then suddenly after 3 months it dropped to $300 with the same amount of views and never gone up. No matter how much promo I did I would never get past $300. It seems like Google somehow put restriction on my account without any explanation. Eventually my blog died (also because Facebook capped organic reach of my…

My parents have a business selling low-carb cookbooks online. They used to do very well because of the organic reach they had on Facebook (they have 1 million likes on their page). Posts would routinely have reach in the millions. One day Facebook changed their algorithm and their reach (and revenue) dropped over 10x. They've been limping along since then, and are planning to retire. It's tough having a single point of failure like that.

Re: Google users locked out after 15 years' use

#494

Post by hedora »

caseysoftware wrote: post #428
_jjca wrote: post #60

This is genuinely scary. Photos, Yale locks, Fi, WiFi and Nest thermostat can all be poof gone because I made a silly YouTube comment? How is this not regulated? Google photos also 'helpfully' offers to delete your uploaded photos with 'some guarantee'!!! If this isn't an indication of a giant shitty monopoly that doesn't care about its customers at all, I don't what is. They have some AI ML fucking crap but can't fi…

> How is this not regulated? Cue the "businesses can choose who they do business with!" and "if you don't like it, build your own!" people. We signed up for many of those things individually and they've connected them more and more. Now we have a single point of failure that can take down everything across all your sytems. And it's not just those. Don't forget about Google Voice, Android, and every service where you…

In fairness, at least for consumers, the only hard to replace Google product is Android.

eCommerce and ad supported businesses that want to avoid Google are screwed though.

Re: Google users locked out after 15 years' use

#495

Post by surajrmal »

jabroni_salad wrote: post #431
lordnacho wrote: post #384

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This raises a question. If you're well marinated in Google services, like me, what do you do? Is there a comprehensive, simple, and easy way to port everything? Perhaps there's some authoritative site about what exactly you need to do?

You can export a lot of your content at takeout.google.com. Debundling these into other services is the main challenge, you have to shop around. If nothing else you should set up your own email address, even if it is just a simple forward to your gmail. Google blocking access to your mailbox would be pretty bad, having control of your MX record gives you an out.

It might be useful to note that in the event that google does ban your account, you can still use the takeout service to retrieve your data.

Re: Google users locked out after 15 years' use

#496

Post by bdcravens »

My gut feeling is that I feel Microsoft is more trustworthy than Google at this point. Is it just me?

Also isn't it funny how we are willing to pay $100+ a month for an iPhone or premium Android with service, yet many balk at the idea of $5/month for a more trustworthy email option? (not saying MSFT is it necessary; there's multiple paid alternatives to Gmail)

Re: Google users locked out after 15 years' use

#497

Post by gitweb »

hedora wrote: post #472
londons_explore wrote: post #430

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There have been big swings in advertiser behaviour in the last few years. One big advertiser changes their policy to "no longer include sites about LGBT issues", and suddenly a blog about that could see revenue drop 90%.

In the past, the advertiser would likely to tell that to the people selling ad space. Then, they’d suffer political blowback for being anti-LGBT. It sounds like Google is laundering third party behavior that is further dividing our society. Perhaps advertisers should be forced (by the government, on all algorithmic platforms) to publish their targeting criteria.

Should it also be a requirement for the government to posts what preferences you look for in a partner on dating websites, what gender you prefer when searching for doctors, what race you prefer when looking for cleaning or child care assistance?

Re: Google users locked out after 15 years' use

#498

Post by [deleted] »

mmkos wrote: post #100

It makes me think that it wouldn't be unreasonable to have regulation around blocking access to email. Google provides a number of services and seemingly, if you break the T&Cs on one of them, your entire account is disabled and you no longer have access to other Google services (including email). I can't imagine not having access to my email - at this point I'm kind of locked in. Google keeps a lot of my passwords a…

[deleted]

Re: Google users locked out after 15 years' use

#499

Post by hedora »

varispeed wrote: post #385
cm2187 wrote: post #243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you are a “customer”. How many people pay for google services? I know it’s kind of jerky but I still agree that if you aren’t paying for the service, you have no leg to complain about it.

People pay with their data. It suits Google very well. If they were able to make billions, lest they could do is to have a proper customer service. I see them now as a company exploiting their customers in every way possible and then giving them a middle finger if there is any problem they experience. It should not be legal to respond to customer issues with bots or people not trained to deal with specific requests.…

People pay when google steals their data.

I say “steal”, because they are not opt-in.

Also, there is no comprehensive opt-out. I cannot tell their ad networks to stop tracking all the devices I own.

(They have a page for stopping tracking of things I use my Google account for. That doesn’t count: They track me even when I am not logged into Google, and even on devices that cannot log into Google.)

Also, I can’t delete my gmail accounts. They were issued by third parties that decided to outsource email to Google.

There is nothing consensual about my use of Google services. I shouldn’t be bound by their EULA. I’m sure the courts would disagree.

Re: Google users locked out after 15 years' use

#500

Post by bojo »

carapace wrote: post #481

A few comments in this thread rub me the wrong way. E.g.: > It should be illegal. > How is this not regulated? No one forces you to use these services. They're voluntary. Imagine you're looking for storage for some stuff. One company advertises a storage service, which is free, but there's a clause in the contract that says, "We can take your stuff at any time, for any reason, no backsies." Would you trust your stuff…

Sorry, but this is a terrible analogy.

Your storage service isn't used for your primary identity/access management to your house, bank account, or utilities, and this is where your argument breaks down.

Much like internet should be a regulated utility (in the US at least) due to how integrated with modern day society it is, the right to an unalterable email address should also be considered, especially due to the fact that it is used for identity management across numerous services.

The vast majority of users out in the world use these free services because they don't know anything else, and nor would I expect them to. As pioneers we the technical community herded them at these push button solutions decades ago, and now it's up to us to realize we've somehow failed them at this point by locking them into monopolistic companies that don't have their best interests at heart.

1. We educate them and start promoting services which won't pull the carpet out from under them on a whim

2. We start advocating for regulation on the existing services and force them to comply

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