EU regulation 2019/1150 would seem to be the first real attempt I'm aware of at addressing this issue. Article 4 covers suspension and termination, with intermediary platforms (i.e. Google, Facebook et al) "the opportunity to clarify the facts and circumstances in the framework of the internal complaint-handling process referred to in Article 11". It also introduces a requirement to provide "a reference to the specif…
Terraria on Stadia cancelled after developer's Google account gets locked
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Re: Terraria on Stadia cancelled after developer's Google account gets locked
#602In a few years we'll have spammers with legit companies able to legally force Google to deliver emails to their "customers" inbox, to abuse compute resource, etc.
Just because Google decided not to act on its kafka-esque banning process.
Re: Terraria on Stadia cancelled after developer's Google account gets locked
#603Earlier quoted context omitted.
Well you can always just create your own courier. If you want true free speech these days you need to build your own stack from the ground up anyway.
> you can always create your own courier It is illegal to compete with USPS to deliver letters.
so put mail in boxes?
I mean, there's DHL, Fedex, and others...
Re: Terraria on Stadia cancelled after developer's Google account gets locked
#604Is there really no way for a user to get in touch with a human agent? I read that Google automates the flagging and disabling of accounts but given how many people have their livelihood linked to these accounts, Google must have done something. It makes me scared how deep I have dived into the Google ecosystem. Time and time again I think about transitioning to someplace else but don’t know how to. It seems too daunt…
At least stop signing up for new things so you don't make the problem worse. It is a risk. I had a problem with my Google account, and while I was able to find a human to email about it, they were completely unable to help. It was literally "you have to do the thing, even though it makes no sense, because that's what our algorithm requires" (in my case it was repurchase an old domain in order to prove that I owned it…
Re: Terraria on Stadia cancelled after developer's Google account gets locked
#605"Doing business with Google is a liability"
Re: Terraria on Stadia cancelled after developer's Google account gets locked
#606Re: Terraria on Stadia cancelled after developer's Google account gets locked
#607Earlier quoted context omitted.
At this point I'd be more than willing to pay a monthly for Google services if it meant I knew I'd get prompt support if something went wrong. I've looked into getting a GSuite account but from my reading like there are some incompatibilities with services that I use on the free tier. I already use Google's paid-tier for their storage and I use their domain registrar. I get that I'm using a free product so that means…
There's an assumption here that Google would behave differently for paid consumer accounts which I do not think is justified/safe.
Re: Terraria on Stadia cancelled after developer's Google account gets locked
#608I just wish that regulation would step in and make behavior like this illegal for the corporate giants. It is definitely possible to limit the power of the TOS, and it's already done in some cases in Europe (certain common TOS clauses are just void and do nothing). One simple thing I'd really like to see is forbidding companies from terminating service without stating a reason, which seems like a really basic require…
Please don't, the only thing worse than no response is a byzantine system that makes you think there's a path and becomes the biggest time sinkhole of your life. Just vote with your feet and move out of their services, life on the outside is just fine.
Re: Terraria on Stadia cancelled after developer's Google account gets locked
#609Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The only resolution guaranteed to work is to break up these companies down to smaller parts until they no longer act like quasi-governments. Why not both? A consumer bill of rights and breaking up Google are not mutually exclusive. Consumer protection laws protect consumers from all companies big and small, present and future. Breaking up Google won't do anything about the "next Google". It's a bit strange to think…
It's a bit strange to think a nebulous "consumer bill of rights" is going to protect you when the actual Bill of Rights is routinely violated. We have utility designations for instances where it makes sense, and even then you see customer abuses. Forcing companies to focus on competition and survival is the best way to make sure they treat their customers well. Abuses pop up when customers don't have the choice to ta…
The Bill of Rights were written over 200 years ago and could really use a rewrite for modern times, but passing constitutional amendments is much more difficult than passing laws. Moreover, the issues involved in the Bill of Rights are much more contentious, whereas pretty much everyone is annoyed by Google's complete lack of customer service.
I also find this statement to be somewhat at odds with your later statement: "These are solved problems, we just don't enforce the laws on the books or modernize them appropriately." How does your Bill of Rights analogy not also apply to your own argument about antitrust?
I would say that consumer protection laws that can be applied in an ongoing, daily basis are better than antitrust laws, because antitrust enforcement is a monumental task that at best can take years to achieve, only comes into play when problems have already gotten out of hand, and may not have the desired results, as you mentioned. Better to try to prevent some of the problems from occurring in the first place, with laws that apply to all companies without exception, instead of trying to just go after a few of the current biggest troublemakers.
And Google is far from the only company who pulls this crap, so at the very least we would need multiple successful antitrust actions.
Right to repair is a similar issue. So, breaking up Google and Facebook might help somewhat with the account suspension issue, but then we also have to break up Apple. And John Deere! And other companies. Or... we could pass right to repair laws. Antitrust feels a lot like Whac-A-Mole to me. Not that antitrust is bad, but you knock down one BigCo, and another arises. Why not more directly address the abuses caused by the BigCos?
Re: Terraria on Stadia cancelled after developer's Google account gets locked
#610Thanks for this reminder that google is never to be trusted. I just bought a proton mail, I can't risk to lose access to my mails.
What does ensure that Protonmail will not have the same business model and the same behavior 10 yers from now as Google?
Worst case for your Google account is losing access to hundreds of Google services and anything you paid for, like apps or movies. And Gmail doesn't even allow you to use your own domain, other than by paying for G Suite which is clearly not targeted at individuals and doesn't work well if you try to use it as an individual.
If in the future Protonmail extends into other areas like Google does, and you start using these new services, it would absolutely have the same risks.