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Google Adsense/Admob blocks you for life if you use it before you're 18

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Re: Google Adsense/Admob blocks you for life if you use it before you're 18

#191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think they’d have a hard time justifying the legitimate interest assessment to keep that data forever. I agree with your statement though, but the GDPR issue is the retention time, not a DSAR issue.

"I have a legitimate interest in never doing business with someone who defrauded me" seems like a reasonably easy argument to make.

The problem is the company is in a privileged position. And there have to be limits. If not, they could stretch the definition of "defrauded me" to whatever they want, for example including discrimination of any kind.

Re: Google Adsense/Admob blocks you for life if you use it before you're 18

#192

I wanted to comment on the parent thread but it’s already locked. “Cannot the boy withhold payment until he turns 18 years? He will lose it to inflation and all but at least he will get some due, right?” It’s a little weird not being able to suggest a solution when my whole life runs on Adsense money.

Apparently this is not possible. Because it's not possible to verify the account, as the person doing the verification has a different birthdate than what's associated with the account.

Re: Google Adsense/Admob blocks you for life if you use it before you're 18

#193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the 13-year old had killed someone, they could be prosecuted as a minor and they would go to juvie and their record would be sealed after they turn 21 and they could get on with their life. But stealing a trivial amount of money from a corporation, well that's certainly deserving of an Internet Death Penalty.

> But stealing a trivial amount of money from a corporation It was only $300 and it was never paid out (since it needed more verification to pay out). If anything Google /made/ and extra $300 (they made more than that since the $300 is after their take). Also it wasn't "stolen" it was earned on a YT channel.

Yep, if anybody stole some money, it was Google.

If the teen entered into a lied about his age in a labor contract, performed the labor, and the employer hold the money after discovering the correct age, he would probably end in jail. Yet it's almost the same situation.

Re: Google Adsense/Admob blocks you for life if you use it before you're 18

#194
post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

Exactly. The leopard doesn't change its spots.

I had Google shutdown my Adsense account and they didn't ever reveal why, I think they just didn't like the site it was on (A twitter picture search engine) but they never told me. I certainly didn't think I was doing anything nefarious, but maybe my site wasn't supposed to be displaying ads. They kept my money (like $3k) and I am pretty sure I can't ever use the service again, but I honestly haven't tried.

I also get a letter every so often (this was 10+ years ago) from one of the big auditing firms that I have money in my google account and I just need to go claim it by logging into the account I can't login to anymore.

Re: Google Adsense/Admob blocks you for life if you use it before you're 18

#195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But stealing a trivial amount of money from a corporation It was only $300 and it was never paid out (since it needed more verification to pay out). If anything Google /made/ and extra $300 (they made more than that since the $300 is after their take). Also it wasn't "stolen" it was earned on a YT channel.

> If anything Google /made/ and extra $300 Not really, since they can cash it out when they're 18, and unclaimed but earned funds on an active but unverified AdSense account don't just disappear into the ether - so on Google's balance sheet, they don't have an extra $300.

I'm pretty sure that's the whole point of this issue though right? The account is burned forever because it's stuck in limbo. I think there would be less consternation/anger if the kid just had to wait till they were 18 but the way the support forum reads this account is forever "in limbo" and even turning 18 won't fix that.

Surely Google writes off old "debts" after a period of time. Maybe not? I guess they will make interest off it at a minimum.

Re: Google Adsense/Admob blocks you for life if you use it before you're 18

#196

My friend ran into this recently, he signed up to Paypal in like 2003, probably to sell games or something on eBay for a bit of cash. He's in his mid thirties now, and Paypal banned his account without warning, when he phoned them up they said it was because he was under 18 when he signed up.....19 years ago.

Wow... I know like 10-20 people who did that too for getting used parts and collectables in highschool.

Re: Google Adsense/Admob blocks you for life if you use it before you're 18

#197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> As someone who operated on the "adult internet" with payment processors and related infrastructure without being 18, I still carry forward the constant fear that I'll be banned for retroactive Terms of Service violations incurred when I was a kid. It really sucks when it's services like AdSense because you're just screwed forever. The thing is, most parents wouldn't even think "Oh, you'll need to do that in my name…

> The thing is, most parents wouldn't even think "Oh, you'll need to do that in my name." I certainly wouldn't think that, as it sounds like horrible idea. Your teenage child posts one picture of themselves in a compromising situation, and suddenly you're lost all access to your accounts for the rest of your life. I'll pass, thanks. And, yes, I get the "educate your children" thing.. but children do stupid things. He…

> Heck, an adult lost their gmail account forever because the sent a picture of their child to their doctor; one the doctor asked for.

All the bad press didn't sort that out? That kind of thing shouldn't happen in the first place, but we can usually expect that once it hits headlines some PR drone swoops in to fix the issue.

Re: Google Adsense/Admob blocks you for life if you use it before you're 18

#198
post #15

As someone who operated on the "adult internet" with payment processors and related infrastructure without being 18, I still carry forward the constant fear that I'll be banned for retroactive Terms of Service violations incurred when I was a kid. It really sucks when it's services like AdSense because you're just screwed forever. I really really wish the internet was more supportive of "early hackers" who want to ex…

The idea that they don't have a timeout feature rather than a "banned for life" antifeature explains all you need to know about these megacorps that are mostly the only game in town for what they do. This is why Congress (and other equivalents) need to kick them in the balls every so often to let them know who is actually in charge.

The locking out seems more like a bug than a feature, from what the “platform expert” is saying

Re: Google Adsense/Admob blocks you for life if you use it before you're 18

#199

My friend ran into this recently, he signed up to Paypal in like 2003, probably to sell games or something on eBay for a bit of cash. He's in his mid thirties now, and Paypal banned his account without warning, when he phoned them up they said it was because he was under 18 when he signed up.....19 years ago.

Sometimes the "justice" can be slow... In e-bay I assume you can sing up again with a different mail and second name or so.
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