An unwanted update to your Google Account • Hacker News Board

Re: An unwanted update to your Google Account

#101

Post by anoncake » Sat, Jun 19, 2021, 5:09 PM UTC

mavhc wrote: post #92

ryandrake wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don’t get me started! Every time I travel somewhere, Google and a bunch of other web sites just decide on their own to send me web content in the local language. Why?? Just respect the user agent’s Accept-Language header. That’s the whole purpose of it!

Because 99.999% of people don't know what that is.

No, because browser makers don't expose it appropriately. There aren't any real alternatives: The only way to determine the user's language preference that can actually work is for them to provide it.

Re: An unwanted update to your Google Account

#102

Post by flyinghamster » Sat, Jun 19, 2021, 5:13 PM UTC

croes wrote: post #84

ajross wrote: post #30

Well... is the author actually in Maylasia or Germany? I mean, that matters. You don't get to personally choose whose laws you're subject to, nor does Google. Having your Google settings set to Germany does nothing to protect you from Maylay law, nor Google for that matter. If you don't want to be subject to the laws of the country you're in[1] you have to move . Google can't help you. [1] Edit: I guess in this circu…

What about Dan Schroeder? He wasn't even in Thailand at all.

I'm wondering if a block of IP addresses got shifted from Asia to Europe recently? That's about the only thing that would make sense to me. But then again, ascribing sense to secret-sauce algorithms and AIs probably isn't a good idea.

Re: An unwanted update to your Google Account

#103

Post by Semaphor » Sat, Jun 19, 2021, 5:14 PM UTC

anoncake wrote: post #101

mavhc wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because 99.999% of people don't know what that is.

No, because browser makers don't expose it appropriately. There aren't any real alternatives: The only way to determine the user's language preference that can actually work is for them to provide it.

What would be appropriate?

Firefox has it under "Choose your preferred language for displaying pages" which seems appropriate to me.

Re: An unwanted update to your Google Account

#104

Post by reaperducer » Sat, Jun 19, 2021, 5:16 PM UTC

croes wrote: post #75

Jaygles wrote: post #2

I understand the author's frustration. But until someone finds out how a company that operates globally can satisfy the laws of the countries their customers are located in without associating the accounts with a country, I'm not sure what we can do. > What I find curious is that it says the services are essentially the same between different countries. So, there is no advantage to me as a consumer for anything to ch…

And how does google satisfy a countries laws if they associate a customer with the wrong country?

Unlike computer code, laws tend to have wiggle room. IANAL, but I expect in this case "best effort" is good enough.

Re: An unwanted update to your Google Account

#105

Post by croes » Sat, Jun 19, 2021, 5:17 PM UTC

stavros wrote: post #94

croes wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's clever by google. Because if a german citizen uses european google services, he is GDPR protected no matter where he is. That switch made im a EU citizens living abroad using non-EU services, so no GDPR protection. Coincidence?

Again, the GDPR applies to EU residents , not citizens . A German citizen in the US isn't protected by the GDPR. Technically, it doesn't even apply to citizens, but to countries that the company markets to. The link explains all this.

It's not so simple. A German citizen in the US is protected by the GDPR if he uses a EU company's service, even a US citizen in the US is then protected by GDPR.

Here it is the same, if he uses EU Google he is protected, because of the switch to Google Malaysia he isn't anymore.

Re: An unwanted update to your Google Account

#106

Post by croes » Sat, Jun 19, 2021, 5:17 PM UTC

flyinghamster wrote: post #102

croes wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about Dan Schroeder? He wasn't even in Thailand at all.

I'm wondering if a block of IP addresses got shifted from Asia to Europe recently? That's about the only thing that would make sense to me. But then again, ascribing sense to secret-sauce algorithms and AIs probably isn't a good idea.

Maybe VPN or Proxy servers

Re: An unwanted update to your Google Account

#107

Post by croes » Sat, Jun 19, 2021, 5:18 PM UTC

reaperducer wrote: post #104

croes wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And how does google satisfy a countries laws if they associate a customer with the wrong country?

Unlike computer code, laws tend to have wiggle room. IANAL, but I expect in this case "best effort" is good enough.

How but just asking your customer instead of guessing by unreliable factors?

Re: An unwanted update to your Google Account

#108

Post by croes » Sat, Jun 19, 2021, 5:19 PM UTC

monkeybutton wrote: post #95

croes wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

BTW companies like Paypal enforced US boycotts on cuba even if the customer is a EU citizens. "The ticket retailer Proticket, for example, filed a lawsuit against the blocking of its account after offering tickets for the musical "Soy de Cuba" and the concert of a Cuban artist. Although Proticket won its case at the Dortmund Regional Court in spring 2016, Paypal still did not change its approach."

Doesn't the law block PayPal from being involved in such a transaction?

Not the EU branch. Global boycott laws, like US ones, are forbidden.

Re: An unwanted update to your Google Account

#109

Post by ac29 » Sat, Jun 19, 2021, 5:19 PM UTC

croes wrote: post #75

Jaygles wrote: post #2

I understand the author's frustration. But until someone finds out how a company that operates globally can satisfy the laws of the countries their customers are located in without associating the accounts with a country, I'm not sure what we can do. > What I find curious is that it says the services are essentially the same between different countries. So, there is no advantage to me as a consumer for anything to ch…

And how does google satisfy a countries laws if they associate a customer with the wrong country?

In this article, Google wasn't incorrect though - this person just wanted the rules for a country they werent in to apply instead of local rules. Google made a good faith attempt to comply with local rules for this customer based on the (correct) location data they had.

Re: An unwanted update to your Google Account

#110

Post by stavros » Sat, Jun 19, 2021, 5:20 PM UTC

croes wrote: post #105

stavros wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Again, the GDPR applies to EU residents , not citizens . A German citizen in the US isn't protected by the GDPR. Technically, it doesn't even apply to citizens, but to countries that the company markets to. The link explains all this.

It's not so simple. A German citizen in the US is protected by the GDPR if he uses a EU company's service, even a US citizen in the US is then protected by GDPR. Here it is the same, if he uses EU Google he is protected, because of the switch to Google Malaysia he isn't anymore.

I disagree, even EU companies don't have to adhere to the GDPR if they don't target EU countries. Google doesn't have to adhere to the GDPR for people in the US, whether they're EU citizens or not.