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

Thanks HN: Lessons learned after Google nearly killed my site

uploader.win

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

131–140 of 296 posts

Re: Thanks HN: Lessons learned after Google nearly killed my site

#131

Post by appsecthrowaway »

jokethrowaway wrote: post #83
davidmurdoch wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't access my 13+ year old gmail account because Google now requires I verify I have access to a phone number I've never owned. There is no 2FA on this account, I know my password, and have access to the "Recovery Email" (which gets emailed a "Somebody knows your password" warning whenever I attempt to sign in to the account with my password). I reached a real person at Google Domains and managed to get things es…

I'm in a similar situation with Apple. I can't access my 10 years old account even though I know the password and control the email attached to it because I don't remember my security questions and I don't have my recovery email anymore. I probably put rubbish data in the security questions as they weaken the security of the account. Funnily enough that password leaked and someone managed to take over my account (I w…

I was in a similar situation 3-4 years ago. The app store kept asking for answers to my security questions which I did not remember to have set up, ever. I went various rounds with their phone support trying answers on the phone (there are only so many reasonable answers for "Who was your first manager?") to no avail. Then I just enabled 2FA and the security questions requirement went away immediately. Back then, the whole thing smelled like a bug on their side to be honest.

Re: Thanks HN: Lessons learned after Google nearly killed my site

#132

Post by marshmallow_12 »

dgellow wrote: post #51

From what I see Google should now be considered an active threat. You have to design your system knowing they will eventually act against you, either your domains or your accounts. And your chances to get it fixed are slim, unless you’re able to get some public outrage. Really a disgusting company.

>Really a disgusting company

that's quite a strong word. For the average Joe, google has immesurably improved their internet experience. The vast majority of people are perfectly happy with google and love it for gmail, youtube etc. Just because they are good at destroying some peoples lives, most users don't really care at all. You might find it hard to recruit supporters just because google are horrible sometimes.

Re: Thanks HN: Lessons learned after Google nearly killed my site

#134

Post by yojo »

jokethrowaway wrote: post #83
davidmurdoch wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can't access my 13+ year old gmail account because Google now requires I verify I have access to a phone number I've never owned. There is no 2FA on this account, I know my password, and have access to the "Recovery Email" (which gets emailed a "Somebody knows your password" warning whenever I attempt to sign in to the account with my password). I reached a real person at Google Domains and managed to get things es…

I'm in a similar situation with Apple. I can't access my 10 years old account even though I know the password and control the email attached to it because I don't remember my security questions and I don't have my recovery email anymore. I probably put rubbish data in the security questions as they weaken the security of the account. Funnily enough that password leaked and someone managed to take over my account (I w…

Not useful for your current case, but I recommend using a password manager to fill random phrases for security questions. That way they’re easy to read out over the phone to CS reps, but are more secure than literal answers, which can often be derived from publicly available info.

Re: Thanks HN: Lessons learned after Google nearly killed my site

#135

Post by thinkloop »

ghaff wrote: post #104
davidmurdoch wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I actually have the same issue with my Apple account I used back in the ipod days; they are now requiring that I answer my security question during log in. But I actually don't remember the answer to the security question, as I used to always put gibberish instead of a real answer. Back in those days these questions would only be used to reset your password, and I was confident I wouldn't forget the password. I've gi…

Furthermore, the answers to security questions aren't always stable. "What was your first pet?" Well, I know how I answer this question because one dog in particular I sort of consider my first pet. But I can remember dogs we had before that one so my answer is a somewhat arbitrary one.

It's none of anyone's business! I generate one password for the password and a second password to break into 4 char random chunks for the security questions which I record in "notes" of the password manager.

Re: Thanks HN: Lessons learned after Google nearly killed my site

#136

Post by dang »

martin_a wrote: post #20

> But there are plenty of Google engineers and good helpful people on Hacker news. > (from a screenshot) I work at Google [...] so I escalated your issue [...] > I believe the HN thread getting on the homepage tremendously helped me and somebody from Google saw it and expedited the review after all So, once more an issue with FAANG could only be fixed because somebody knew somebody else and went out of his way to get…

That quote is from an 8-year-old comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5972927.

Re: Thanks HN: Lessons learned after Google nearly killed my site

#137

Post by whatshisface »

superzamp wrote: post #31
ttt0 wrote: post #18

They can remove your YouTube account, app, entire Google account or even your website at any time and you can only make guesses why did that happen, because they always make the rules really vague and it's never clear what is or is not allowed. And even when they do admit the mistake and get you back up, they still won't explain anything and nothing is ever fixed. Thank you Google, very cool.

At this point they, and other giants, successfully demonstrated that they cannot regulate themselves over these random terminations and that the public needs to step in.

Rather than further secure their market positions by forcing them to treat their customers well, why not replace the entire company by competition from less insane providers?

Re: Thanks HN: Lessons learned after Google nearly killed my site

#138

Post by randycupertino »

heavyset_go wrote: post #100
jokethrowaway wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm in a similar situation with Apple. I can't access my 10 years old account even though I know the password and control the email attached to it because I don't remember my security questions and I don't have my recovery email anymore. I probably put rubbish data in the security questions as they weaken the security of the account. Funnily enough that password leaked and someone managed to take over my account (I w…

> I'm in a similar situation with Apple. I can't access my 10 years old account even though I know the password and control the email attached to it because I don't remember my security questions and I don't have my recovery email anymore I have an iPad that I let sit on a shelf for a while. During that time, Apple deleted the Apple account it was signed into. As a result, I cannot unlock the iPad or use it at all. I…

These sort of problems are so aggravating and seem to take a disproportionate amount of mental and emotional energy to the problem. I'm not exactly sure why, either. Perhaps it's because trying to explain the issue to anyone else (support, spouse, etc) and catch them up on where you are, what the issue is and what's been tried already takes so long and then in the end that person is powerless to help. And to make any progress forward you have to be relentlessly tenacious and still the problem will fall on deaf ears.

It's like the system is built against you to just force people to ultimately run out of steam trying to get it resolved and give up.

Re: Thanks HN: Lessons learned after Google nearly killed my site

#139

Post by randycupertino »

yojo wrote: post #134
jokethrowaway wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm in a similar situation with Apple. I can't access my 10 years old account even though I know the password and control the email attached to it because I don't remember my security questions and I don't have my recovery email anymore. I probably put rubbish data in the security questions as they weaken the security of the account. Funnily enough that password leaked and someone managed to take over my account (I w…

Not useful for your current case, but I recommend using a password manager to fill random phrases for security questions. That way they’re easy to read out over the phone to CS reps, but are more secure than literal answers, which can often be derived from publicly available info.

Is there a password manager you recommend? I've never used one. Ty!

Re: Thanks HN: Lessons learned after Google nearly killed my site

#140

Post by [deleted] »

doliveira wrote: post #75
ttt0 wrote: post #18

They can remove your YouTube account, app, entire Google account or even your website at any time and you can only make guesses why did that happen, because they always make the rules really vague and it's never clear what is or is not allowed. And even when they do admit the mistake and get you back up, they still won't explain anything and nothing is ever fixed. Thank you Google, very cool.

I am now left wondering about the .dev gTLD, isn't it owned by Google?

[deleted]
Post reply on HN