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Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

zdnet.com

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Re: Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

#81

Post by sixtofour »

I use gmail, but I use it as me@mydomain.com. If they ever suspend/destroy me, at most I'll lose a few emails before I point my domain elsewhere. I already maintain an account at fastmail.fm for the few times that gmails smtp has gone down; they are responsive and I've had email conversations with them a few times.

I also use thunderbird and have it automatically save the All Mail folder.

Given the years of monolithic indifference shown by Google, I don't know why anyone with the awareness and ability to use their own domain for email doesn't do so. It would be terrible to have your identity yanked from you; I think that's worse than losing copies of emails that you'll probably never look at anyway.

Re: Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

#82

Post by tectonic »

michaelw wrote: post #76
rorrr wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

voxox.com - free youmail.com - free? phonebooth.com - $20/month ringcentral.com - $20/month line2.com - $10-15/month 3jam.com - $5/month

I self-host openvbx which is a pretty nice application running on the twillio.com service.

OpenVBX looks quite good.

Re: Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

#83

Post by nekitamo »

Interesting. I got banned when using a pseudonym that I usually use in video games. It was 2 words (first name last name) so it shouldn't have come up as some 1 word spam/business account (which seems to be what they are targeting for the bans). The account was also active, with me interacting with lots of real-life friends.

Oh well, never really planned on using Google+ in the first place.

Re: Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

#84

Post by [deleted] »

iamdave wrote: post #80
alayne wrote: post #64

How long are people going to tolerate the tyranny of large companies controlling social interaction? Google+ has all kinds of terms of service that I find infringing of free speech. Facebook has their own terms. I think we need to stop being sharecroppers and serfs and develop social network solutions that are distributed and open, or at least encourage the projects that are working on it already. The amount of press…

Everytime I see someone referencing "free speech" in a way that makes it painfully obvious they skipped over the words "CONGRESS shall make no laws restricting..." I want to bang my head against a wall. Google is a company, a company that's providing you a service free of charge. They are 100% within their right to tell you how not to use their product.

[deleted]

Re: Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

#86

Post by alayne »

iamdave wrote: post #80
alayne wrote: post #64

How long are people going to tolerate the tyranny of large companies controlling social interaction? Google+ has all kinds of terms of service that I find infringing of free speech. Facebook has their own terms. I think we need to stop being sharecroppers and serfs and develop social network solutions that are distributed and open, or at least encourage the projects that are working on it already. The amount of press…

Everytime I see someone referencing "free speech" in a way that makes it painfully obvious they skipped over the words "CONGRESS shall make no laws restricting..." I want to bang my head against a wall. Google is a company, a company that's providing you a service free of charge. They are 100% within their right to tell you how not to use their product.

Freedom of speech is a basic human right, not a privilege granted by governments. When companies stifle speech, it's immoral even if it is legal. However, I think I made it clear that I am talking about not allowing companies to control speech by adopting a social network system that is decentralized.

Re: Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

#87

Post by kevinh »

alayne wrote: post #86
iamdave wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Everytime I see someone referencing "free speech" in a way that makes it painfully obvious they skipped over the words "CONGRESS shall make no laws restricting..." I want to bang my head against a wall. Google is a company, a company that's providing you a service free of charge. They are 100% within their right to tell you how not to use their product.

Freedom of speech is a basic human right, not a privilege granted by governments. When companies stifle speech, it's immoral even if it is legal. However, I think I made it clear that I am talking about not allowing companies to control speech by adopting a social network system that is decentralized.

If you're in my house and say things that I don't like, it's not immoral for me to kick you out. You can go say what you like outside. It's similar to companies allowing you to post your opinion on their service. If they don't like what you're saying, they have every right to make you leave.

Re: Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

#88

Post by alayne »

kevinh wrote: post #87
alayne wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Freedom of speech is a basic human right, not a privilege granted by governments. When companies stifle speech, it's immoral even if it is legal. However, I think I made it clear that I am talking about not allowing companies to control speech by adopting a social network system that is decentralized.

If you're in my house and say things that I don't like, it's not immoral for me to kick you out. You can go say what you like outside. It's similar to companies allowing you to post your opinion on their service. If they don't like what you're saying, they have every right to make you leave.

Thank you for the analogy. I think I overstated my case in a way that sounds too general. I disagree with Google's terms of service. They impose restrictions that could limit productive discussion. They have control over identity I think is unreasonable. The concepts of social networks, online discussion, and identity seem like too big of a deal to let particular companies control them.

Re: Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

#89

Post by [deleted] »

dorian-graph wrote: post #74
tshtf wrote: post #3

I use Google for everything from Google Apps to Google Voice. Given this recent behaviour of Google, I'm doing something wrong. Over the next few weeks, I plan to do the following: 1) Transition my gmail account over to a domain I own. I'll email everyone I know, and change all my known addresses. Thankfully, Google lets me connect via IMAP to retrieve all of this. 2) Move my Google Voice number to my VOIP carrier. T…

1) Transition my gmail account over to a domain I own. I'll email everyone I know, and change all my known addresses. Thankfully, Google lets me connect via IMAP to retrieve all of this. How do you plan doing that as I'd like to do the same.

[deleted]

Re: Google Plus Deleting Accounts En Masse: No Clear Answers

#90

Post by code_duck »

tshtf wrote: post #3

I use Google for everything from Google Apps to Google Voice. Given this recent behaviour of Google, I'm doing something wrong. Over the next few weeks, I plan to do the following: 1) Transition my gmail account over to a domain I own. I'll email everyone I know, and change all my known addresses. Thankfully, Google lets me connect via IMAP to retrieve all of this. 2) Move my Google Voice number to my VOIP carrier. T…

Of course, why be vulnerable? Back up your stuff, and be self reliant and as independent as possible. Sound principles regardless of whomever else is doing anything.
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