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Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

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Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#211

Post by lukan »

traderj0e wrote: post #182
nzeid wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They've essentially gotten roped into maintaining a huge chunk of internet infrastructure, for free. If they ever shut it down the whole world would end up rioting because it's so widely used. Not even remotely true. They regularly shut down products and services with impunity. If Gmail cost more than the data they directly or indirectly mine and sell from their users, Gmail wouldn't exist either.

The stuff they've shut down has been nowhere near as important as Gmail.

Yeah, but they still don't run a charity. They sell ads and information - and gmail provides them with lots of valuable information.

If that ceases to be true, goodbye (free) gmail.

Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#212

Post by duskwuff »

traderj0e wrote: post #182
nzeid wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> They've essentially gotten roped into maintaining a huge chunk of internet infrastructure, for free. If they ever shut it down the whole world would end up rioting because it's so widely used. Not even remotely true. They regularly shut down products and services with impunity. If Gmail cost more than the data they directly or indirectly mine and sell from their users, Gmail wouldn't exist either.

The stuff they've shut down has been nowhere near as important as Gmail.

Shutting down GMail would practically amount to shutting down email. It's by far the largest email provider in the US (and probably in the world but I don't have that data). There's no other provider who could take up the slack; if it were to abruptly shut down, a lot of users would simply lose access to email altogether.

Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#213

Post by bingaweek »

tomjen3 wrote: post #189
Night_Thastus wrote: post #177

People complain a lot about Gmail, but honestly I kind of understand Google's plight here. They've essentially gotten roped into maintaining a huge chunk of internet infrastructure, for free . If they ever shut it down the whole world would end up rioting because it's so widely used. But it's expensive, complicated and time-consuming to maintain - and both a source of and recipient of endless waves of spam and scams.…

I am not sure the backslash would be big if Gmail said that a year from now you would have to pay $9.99 per month to use your Gmail ($12.99 ad-free). I mean people would complain, but would that actually give a backslash? Especially if they made it easy for people to move their account elsewhere? People are used to paying a lot more for things outside of tech. I suspect what is really holding them back is the loss of…

[dead]

Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#214

Post by redsocksfan45 »

mminer237 wrote: post #68
Aboutplants wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It follows the same logic as physical junk mail. We accept the fact that we will receive junk mailers in our physical mailbox and just toss them out.

There is a big difference between advertising your services and trying to literally steal people's money.

Not when half those "advertised services" are in fact scams.

Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#215

Post by redserk »

Night_Thastus wrote: post #177

People complain a lot about Gmail, but honestly I kind of understand Google's plight here. They've essentially gotten roped into maintaining a huge chunk of internet infrastructure, for free . If they ever shut it down the whole world would end up rioting because it's so widely used. But it's expensive, complicated and time-consuming to maintain - and both a source of and recipient of endless waves of spam and scams.…

> They've essentially gotten roped into maintaining a huge chunk of internet infrastructure, for free.

I’ll stop you here. Google offered it for free and, at the time, offered such an high amount of mail storage for free it sounded insane. At the time, my ISP gave me a 25MB or 50MB inbox and that was considered pretty decent, when Google was trying to get people in with 1-2GB.

They absolutely have a right to take ant steps they deem necessary to prevent malicious use of their product, and certainly aren’t obligated to provide it for free, but Google wasn’t forced to provide a free email service, much less one that went so far above and beyond their competition.

Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#216

Post by shevy-java »

Now people only need to connect this to age sniffing and the global corporate-driven movement to destroy and abolish VPNs. Politicians are no longer working for the people but their own money - aka by definition these are lobbyists.

Note that "scanning a QR code and sending a text message" means, for the most part, a smartphone. One could do so via a tablet too, I suppose, but most who register will do so via their smartphone device. For some reason accessing the www is increasingly tied to "identify now!". This is a huge contrast to the freedom of the 1990s. I don't think we should accept that.

Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#217

Post by hamilyon2 »

The latest moves from google are the damning smoking gun evidence that anti monopoly court ever needs. "Do this or else". Recaptcha, gmail, google suite, android, chrome, colab and even google play must be viable businesses on their own, separate from google ads machine. Gmail must start competing for users with other email providers. And, yes, recaptcha must pay its infrastructure cost in full only from recaptcha revenue. This is the good way to level playing field, silence all the critics and let air into the room.

Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#218

Post by rootusrootus »

tomjen3 wrote: post #189
Night_Thastus wrote: post #177

People complain a lot about Gmail, but honestly I kind of understand Google's plight here. They've essentially gotten roped into maintaining a huge chunk of internet infrastructure, for free . If they ever shut it down the whole world would end up rioting because it's so widely used. But it's expensive, complicated and time-consuming to maintain - and both a source of and recipient of endless waves of spam and scams.…

I am not sure the backslash would be big if Gmail said that a year from now you would have to pay $9.99 per month to use your Gmail ($12.99 ad-free). I mean people would complain, but would that actually give a backslash? Especially if they made it easy for people to move their account elsewhere? People are used to paying a lot more for things outside of tech. I suspect what is really holding them back is the loss of…

> I am not sure the backslash would be big if Gmail said that a year from now you would have to pay $9.99 per month

I think approximately 95% of all Gmail users would leave. Regular people are accustomed to paying nothing for things like email. And if I have to pay for email, I am not paying Google for it, especially not twice the cost of Fastmail.

Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#219

Post by throwaway2037 »

bix6 wrote: post #105
adrian_b wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe that these spammers now concentrate their efforts towards e-mail addresses hosted by major providers, like Gmail. The reason is that I have an opposite experience, during the last couple of years I have received much less spam messages than before. I have hosted my own e-mail server for more than 2 decades. Previously, I had to filter large quantities of spam messages, but lately the number of spam messages…

I’m considering self hosted. I’m so tired of the major providers not even trying. And I have no serious control over blocklists.

What about fastmail.com or hey.com or proton.me? I have heard good things about all of them.

Re: Gmail registration now requires scanning a QR code and sending a text message

#220

Post by elmomle »

duskwuff wrote: post #212
traderj0e wrote: post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The stuff they've shut down has been nowhere near as important as Gmail.

Shutting down GMail would practically amount to shutting down email. It's by far the largest email provider in the US (and probably in the world but I don't have that data). There's no other provider who could take up the slack; if it were to abruptly shut down, a lot of users would simply lose access to email altogether.

They'd generate a huge amount of ill will by shutting it down, and that in turn would likely lead to a nontrivial share of people moving away from Google core products (like search) out of pure spite.
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