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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

#441

Post by BenjiWiebe »

p-e-w wrote: post #391
bachmeier wrote: post #266

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and certainly aren’t obligated to provide it for free And I'll stop you here. It's less than obvious that there's no obligation. If you provide a critical service that folks rely on at a price less than your cost, you drive out competition, and it's a critical part of your own business model, dropping the service without warning is IMO on the border of what Google should be allowed to do.

I’d say that if Google suddenly stopped providing Gmail for free, destroying the primary means of communication for billions of people, governments would be justified in immediately nationalizing Google with no compensation. Corporations aren’t magical entities that somehow exist outside of social obligations and can do whatever they want as long as their own terms of service permit it.

Maybe they could announce a pricing increase for a somewhat distant future date.

Maybe $1/month starting in 2 years, then increasing to $2/month for the next year, $3/month for the next, on until they feel they're covering costs.

That way it gives people time to look for alternative free providers, or time to get used to the idea of paying for email.

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

#443

Post by bmitc »

redserk wrote: post #215
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…

Google's annual revenue is $350 billion. I can't believe someone would feel bad for such a company, because as you pointed out, this entire Gmail thing is part of the reason they have that revenue.

Google has done nothing but be a wolf in sheep's clothing. I'm not going to shed a tear because they have to maintain an email service.

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

#444

Post by denkmoon »

warkdarrior wrote: post #125
oldherl wrote: post #93

Wechat (Weixin; 微信) from Tencent has been doing this for years. Now Google is becoming the new Tencent and the US is becoming the new China

Do we get cheap EVs and high-speed rail now?

Nope you get Marvel Avengers :)

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

#445

Post by bmitc »

bachmeier wrote: post #266
redserk wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

> and certainly aren’t obligated to provide it for free And I'll stop you here. It's less than obvious that there's no obligation. If you provide a critical service that folks rely on at a price less than your cost, you drive out competition, and it's a critical part of your own business model, dropping the service without warning is IMO on the border of what Google should be allowed to do.

I think people have forgotten the various historic monopolies and abuse they've perpetuated just because the new ones do it digitally.

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

#446

Post by a2128 »

autoexec wrote: post #428
duskwuff wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

At one point AOL was the largest ISP and email provider on Earth too. If gmail died off people would just move to something else. It'd be annoying, but it wouldn't be the end of email

Google could actually do everyone a solid by killing gmail. They have enough influence in the industry that they could create a standard for email address portability, and then slowly force everybody to move off. By the end, one of the biggest problems with email would be solved and people would be able to switch email providers like how we can switch phone providers without needing to change our phone numbers. And Google would get to save a lot of money by no longer needing to provide everyone's emails

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

#447

Post by ranger_danger »

s1mplicissimus wrote: post #323
WalterBright wrote: post #295

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except gmail is hardly a cartel, etc. I've never had a gmail account.

I'd assume that you also never tried running your own email server and have the email actually delivered to a gmail address, then.

Been doing it for over 20 years without issue, for myself and many other customers.

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

#448

Post by duskwuff »

bigstrat2003 wrote: post #429
duskwuff wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

No, that wouldn't happen. Lots of people don't have email through Google, for one. Those people will still use email just fine. Moreover, the people who do use Gmail will simply sign up with another provider. It won't be a big deal.

> No, that wouldn't happen. Lots of people don't have email through Google, for one.

Based on some data I collected around five years ago, roughly 80% of US customers used GMail for personal email. It was overwhelmingly the most common choice. I suspect that number has only drifted upwards since.

(What about the rest? 15% were using Yahoo; the rest were spread thinly across AOL, Microsoft, ISPs, and colleges.)

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

#449

Post by ranger_danger »

siren2026 wrote: post #359
zeptonix wrote: post #326

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What a lame first comment. They're making tons of money. Sounds hard. Let's give up all our freedom.

A lot of people here work for Google. Tough to understand something when your salary depends on it.

[flagged]

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

#450

Post by donkyrf »

AnthonyMouse wrote: post #431
donkyrf wrote: post #291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

> the existence of an immense right-wing propaganda machine The biggest trick corporate oligarchs have managed to pull off is convincing people that consolidated markets are "right-wing". Adam Smith is in the public domain, you can read it for free: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3300 A core premise of the book is basically that competitive free markets are good, antitrust is important and government regulations ha…

America's right-wing has never wanted competitive free markets, and has never been represented by Adam Smith, the man who said:

"the disposition to admire, and almost to worship, the rich and the powerful, and to despise, or, at least, to neglect persons of poor and mean condition is the great and most universal cause of the corruption of our moral sentiments."

America's right-wing has always been about enriching the connected and the already powerful. Nothing more.

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