Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ask HN: How do I get my Google account back?

news.ycombinator.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

71–80 of 154 posts

Re: Ask HN: How do I get my Google account back?

#71

Post by elorant »

account-5 wrote: post #57

I have Gmail accounts but none of them are for anything critical or important. I create a new one with every android device I get. Google lost my trust for anything more than a random account I need (Google makes you need) for using an android device when years ago they made me provide a DOB, and I misstyped it putting the current year instead of my birth year in. Next thing I know my account was locked because I was…

This is all nice, but you're not answering the freaking question. I'm tired of this line of reasoning in here. Someone asks something specific, and then everybody jumps in to tell his/her story which while informative, doesn't solve the initial issue.

Please, for fuck's sake. Stay on the topic.

Re: Ask HN: How do I get my Google account back?

#72

Post by moreira »

dmd wrote: post #47
MrPatan wrote: post #37

I can't help the OP, but I can help you, gmail user reading this: This WILL happen to you. Get your own domain and set up email through it ASAP. Use some free one, use a paid one (I like fastmail), but get it done now. Then migrate all your accounts to it.

I really really want to do this but am stuck on Gmail because of their spam filtering. Is there ANY other provider that does spam filtering that actually works? I tried Fastmail, but I receive so much spam (>600 per day vs. ~20 non-spam per day) that only Gmail's spam filtering is good enough. I've tried others (like Fastmail) and typically ~50/day get through their spam filters, vs. at Gmail where on a typical day 1…

I'm sure you're aware, but if not, Fastmail trains a spam filter based on your email[0], and after you train it, it -does- get better. It just takes time. I haven't had my address for as long as you (only 15 years or so), but I have been just as nonchalant about sharing it openly. I get plenty of spam, but it's all sorted automatically now, and I don't miss Gmail.

[0]: https://www.fastmail.help/hc/en-us/articles/1500000278142

Re: Ask HN: How do I get my Google account back?

#73

Post by account-5 »

elorant wrote: post #71
account-5 wrote: post #57

I have Gmail accounts but none of them are for anything critical or important. I create a new one with every android device I get. Google lost my trust for anything more than a random account I need (Google makes you need) for using an android device when years ago they made me provide a DOB, and I misstyped it putting the current year instead of my birth year in. Next thing I know my account was locked because I was…

This is all nice, but you're not answering the freaking question. I'm tired of this line of reasoning in here. Someone asks something specific, and then everybody jumps in to tell his/her story which while informative, doesn't solve the initial issue. Please, for fuck's sake. Stay on the topic.

Oh the irony.

Re: Ask HN: How do I get my Google account back?

#74

Post by mnvrth »

davidmitchell2 wrote: post #66
mnvrth wrote: post #50

(Disclaimer: I'm part of the crew building https://ente.io ) I hope someone at Google takes a look at this and uses their internal tool to help OP. That said, this oft repeated story is one of the most compelling reasons why I think Google alternatives (like the one we're building) will catch on in the mainstream population. Not privacy. But the fact that we offer human support, whilst Google doesn't.

From: https://ente.io/privacy#account-data > Data security is very important to ente, whether that is your personal information or any other data. That is why we publish our client-side browser and mobile app software and why we have provided information in this Policy on collection and storage of all data whether or not it is personal information. How does this prove Data security? > And what is this: our architectu…

> How does this prove Data security?

You're right, that by itself doesn't prove data security. But what we try to do is follow the example of other privacy-first Google alternatives like DDG, Signal, and try to structure our organization/processes/code in a similar way.

> Any white-paper?

https://ente.io/architecture/

Not quite a white paper, but I feel https://ente.io/architecture/ covers the practical aspects of what we do in a human readable way (we wanted this page to be understandable by people with a non-cryptographic background, I'm just mentioning the intended audience, a few of our customers have reached out to us and have mentioned they found it useful too).

Re: Ask HN: How do I get my Google account back?

#75

Post by mnvrth »

4ggr0 wrote: post #67
mnvrth wrote: post #50

(Disclaimer: I'm part of the crew building https://ente.io ) I hope someone at Google takes a look at this and uses their internal tool to help OP. That said, this oft repeated story is one of the most compelling reasons why I think Google alternatives (like the one we're building) will catch on in the mainstream population. Not privacy. But the fact that we offer human support, whilst Google doesn't.

As much as I appreciate people like you doing new things, the same will happen to your project if it grows. There will be a point that your service will simply have too many users to handle all of their requests in a satisfactory way. If you disagree I'm interested why you think y'all can make it differently.

I agree, scaling support is a hard problem. But Google has set an extremely low bar, they've just given up, and they can just blatantly do that, because of their effective monopoly/duopoly.

I'm sure we (if not us specifically, some other project like us) can do better.

Re: Ask HN: How do I get my Google account back?

#76

Post by davidmitchell2 »

syshum wrote: post #69
davidmitchell2 wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many providers do it... sadly

I have never had one actually require it, often the installers will claim that but back in the day I would just say "sure here is my linux machine have fun installing your windows software on it" and magically they did not need to install anything any more....

But as one can imagine people (99% are on Windows) do it in haste...

Re: Ask HN: How do I get my Google account back?

#77

Post by YPPH »

I'm afraid I can't help you. I'm not sure whether Googlers here can either. I'd be surprised if they are allowed to modify user accounts outside the established processes.

I would recommend anyone who values their Google account, and who can afford it, to purchase two FIDO security keys and enroll in the Advanced Protection Program. [0]

Once you've done that, security warnings upon sign in go away. It would seem you can sign in on the least trustworthy IP address in the world, and Google will not bother you about it.

And your account essentially becomes intrusion proof, even from phishing attacks.

[0] https://landing.google.com/advancedprotection/

Re: Ask HN: How do I get my Google account back?

#78

Post by 0des »

account-5 wrote: post #73
elorant wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is all nice, but you're not answering the freaking question. I'm tired of this line of reasoning in here. Someone asks something specific, and then everybody jumps in to tell his/her story which while informative, doesn't solve the initial issue. Please, for fuck's sake. Stay on the topic.

Oh the irony.

they're not wrong. it's a very reddit way of communicating. people criticize then get right to story time. when youre in this situation, you couldnt give a fuck less about someones tangential testimonial.

Re: Ask HN: How do I get my Google account back?

#79

Post by 0des »

domdomfanfare wrote: post #70
Nexxxeh wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because disclosure is part of the culture here. If you're working for the competition or have some other relevant source of bias, it's polite and ethical to disclose that.

Quoted post unavailable.

i assumed it was a founder looking to promote in a way that didnt make themselves feel overtly spammy, but there was an air of thirst.

Re: Ask HN: How do I get my Google account back?

#80

Post by dmd »

moreira wrote: post #72
dmd wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I really really want to do this but am stuck on Gmail because of their spam filtering. Is there ANY other provider that does spam filtering that actually works? I tried Fastmail, but I receive so much spam (>600 per day vs. ~20 non-spam per day) that only Gmail's spam filtering is good enough. I've tried others (like Fastmail) and typically ~50/day get through their spam filters, vs. at Gmail where on a typical day 1…

I'm sure you're aware, but if not, Fastmail trains a spam filter based on your email[0], and after you train it, it -does- get better. It just takes time. I haven't had my address for as long as you (only 15 years or so), but I have been just as nonchalant about sharing it openly. I get plenty of spam, but it's all sorted automatically now, and I don't miss Gmail. [0]: https://www.fastmail.help/hc/en-us/articles/1500…

Yeah, well aware. It's not the inputs, it's the algorithm, it seems.
Post reply on HN