5 ms·

Er, Google has millions of users who have absolutely no problems. One (or even dozens) of bad stories is a tiny percentage of the interactions that take place o

Er, Google has millions of users who have absolutely no problems. One (or even dozens) of bad stories is a tiny percentage of the interactions that take place on their services. It's _far_ more likely to be a mistake than anything untoward, just based on the sheer numbers.

cityhall 9y ago
Your Honor, please consider the thousands of banks I didn't rob.
- weberc2 9y ago
  I think you misunderstood; he's not saying "Google isn't very bad because they made one small mistake", he's saying "Why should I switch from Google simply because there is a minuscule chance that they might make a mistake that affects me".
  - b4ux1t3 9y ago
    Thank you. Realistically, what's the likelihood that any single user who uses gmail is going to get shut down? Literally one in millions.
    - xiaoma 9y ago
      >"Literally one in millions." Unless you work at Google and are privy to internal information, how could you possibly know that? The only reason you're hearing about this case is because the account holder is a university professor who lost a long standing Blogger site—used at his school and linked to by the NYT—and then the story made it to the front page of HN. It's overwhelmingly likely that the vast, vast majority of people who lose access to their Google accounts never make it onto your radar.
      - weberc2 9y ago
        > Unless you work at Google and are privy to internal information, how could you possibly know that? It's an estimate, not an exact figure.
tshibley 9y ago
How is this any less scary? If a company can just _mistakenly_ cut off my email without warning, and I can't fight through the customer service abyss to get it back, shouldn't I be concerned?
- b4ux1t3 9y ago
  Except for the vast (and I mean _vast_) majority of users, this is never an issue. You've got a chance of being struck by a meteor whenever you leave your house (and also while being in it). Do you solve that problem by staying inside? No. You go outside and take those odds. The chance that you'll be mistakenly shut down by a mistake is minuscule. Google has proven in the past to be a reliable way to do things like whistleblowing and hosting questionable content. The fact that one or even a dozen users get banned doesn't invalidate Google's history of keeping a _vast_, _overwhelming_ majority of even their free users safe.
ameister14 9y ago
If you hear of someone opening their Life cereal and finding a rat inside it from the factory, you're less likely to buy Life cereal, aren't you? I certainly am. That rat might be rare, but the system that allowed it to go out isn't one I can trust implicitly.

cityhall 9y ago

Your Honor, please consider the thousands of banks I didn't rob.

weberc2 9y ago
I think you misunderstood; he's not saying "Google isn't very bad because they made one small mistake", he's saying "Why should I switch from Google simply because there is a minuscule chance that they might make a mistake that affects me".
- b4ux1t3 9y ago
  Thank you. Realistically, what's the likelihood that any single user who uses gmail is going to get shut down? Literally one in millions.
  - xiaoma 9y ago
    >"Literally one in millions." Unless you work at Google and are privy to internal information, how could you possibly know that? The only reason you're hearing about this case is because the account holder is a university professor who lost a long standing Blogger site—used at his school and linked to by the NYT—and then the story made it to the front page of HN. It's overwhelmingly likely that the vast, vast majority of people who lose access to their Google accounts never make it onto your radar.
    - weberc2 9y ago
      > Unless you work at Google and are privy to internal information, how could you possibly know that? It's an estimate, not an exact figure.

tshibley 9y ago

How is this any less scary? If a company can just _mistakenly_ cut off my email without warning, and I can't fight through the customer service abyss to get it back, shouldn't I be concerned?

b4ux1t3 9y ago
Except for the vast (and I mean _vast_) majority of users, this is never an issue. You've got a chance of being struck by a meteor whenever you leave your house (and also while being in it). Do you solve that problem by staying inside? No. You go outside and take those odds. The chance that you'll be mistakenly shut down by a mistake is minuscule. Google has proven in the past to be a reliable way to do things like whistleblowing and hosting questionable content. The fact that one or even a dozen users get banned doesn't invalidate Google's history of keeping a _vast_, _overwhelming_ majority of even their free users safe.

ameister14 9y ago

If you hear of someone opening their Life cereal and finding a rat inside it from the factory, you're less likely to buy Life cereal, aren't you? I certainly am. That rat might be rare, but the system that allowed it to go out isn't one I can trust implicitly.