12 ms·

This appears to be a common experience. Google has been terrible at communicating reasons for account suspension. Here's a more detailed account on a similar su

by arayh 8y ago

This appears to be a common experience. Google has been terrible at communicating reasons for account suspension. Here's a more detailed account on a similar suspension: http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2013/04/life_without_google_when_my_account_was_suspended_i_felt_like_i_d_been_dumped.html http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2013/0...

tyingq 8y ago
They also aren't granular. So you could lose access to all Google products for violating terms on one of them.
- sephoric 8y ago
  Of all the reasons to avoid Google, this seems to me like the biggest one that ironically is rarely addressed. If a malicious user flags your account as being in violation of Google's ToS, then all of your Google accounts are at risk of being terminated with no appeal process, no information, and no substantiated hope of recovery. And as far as I understand it, that includes the serious possibility of total data loss from all Google services.
  - tyingq 8y ago
    Right. It's worse than it used to be too, because of the breadth of their services. Theoretically, one person on YouTube that flags you could cause you to have a useless (or almost useless...minus your data/config) phone, thermostat, Google Home device, etc. Or, you could lose access to, say, your Google Analytics or Adwords account.
    - tajen 8y ago
      or Gmail. From there, control on any online account you have. Gmail used to be the argument to log in to their services. Now, if you use Gmail, it’s probably better to dodge the other services, by fear of losing Gmail.
  - TAForObvReasons 8y ago
    To clarify, are you saying that a youtube flag risks the gmail account with the same username OR that a youtube flag risks all gmail accounts that I control?
    - ysleepy 8y ago
      AFAIK all accounts that are connected via backup email addresses or similar.
      - milesvp 8y ago
        It's potentially worse than this. I've heard rumor that accounts that they suspect to be linked can get included in the dragnet. So even if you are super careful and use a separate google account for youtube with no reference to your personal email account, can get both accounts suspended for unwarrented "copyright violation". I don't know how much of this is FUD spread by people who don't know any better. But given how much data google collects, I wouldn't bet against it being possible.
        vezycash 8y ago
        >I've heard rumor that accounts that they suspect to be linked can get included in the dragnet. Some people violated Big G's TOS by buying pixels to resell. All their related accounts were closed. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/17/google-suspends-customer-accounts-for-reselling-pixel-phones https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/17/google-su...
    - bigiain 8y ago
      Here's a guy, who admittedly was doing something really dumb, but managed to get his entire company's email accounts suspended: https://www.reddit.com/r/tifu/comments/8kvias/tifu_by_getting_google_to_ban_our_entire_company/ https://www.reddit.com/r/tifu/comments/8kvias/tifu_by_gettin... So someone does something stupid using a work GSuite email account, gets not just the entire company email suspended, but also any staff member's personal gmail accounts that were linked for password recovery for their work email accounts.
- wlesieutre 8y ago
  They keep trying to get me to shop from Google Express, but the nagging uncertainty about what happens to my Gmail account if I have to do a credit card chargeback against a Google service has me avoiding it.
  - B1FF_PSUVM 8y ago
    There you go - reason #1 for not using any other Google service ever: "I do not want my Gmail fukced"
    - SamReidHughes 8y ago
      And here this is the reason I don't use Gmail.
      - MrEldritch 8y ago
        I've been using Gmail since high school, but I'm definitely thinking that it's time for me to abandon ship and actually get my own damn email.
        realusername 8y ago
        I've moved to Fastmail in 2015 and I had a long term Gmail account since high school, I've never missed Gmail one bit, I encourage you to do it.
        StavrosK 8y ago
        I also moved to Fastmail years ago. I used to think it would be hell to migrate a service as essential as email, but it basically took a repointing of DNS and running Fastmail's importer. It took half an hour and I've been a super happy user ever since, and I couldn't believe how bloated Gmail felt after trying Fastmail.
        kalleboo 8y ago
        The thing keeping me from switching away from Gmail is the lack of IMAP IDLE on iOS. I can’t believe Apple still refuses to implement it in 2018... I see a FastMail app on the App Store but from the screenshots it looks pretty bad (is it just a web view?)
- bigiain 8y ago
  I wonder if the new "auto login to Chrome" thing will ever one day lock people out of their web browser with no notice or recourse?
- ObsoleteNerd 8y ago
  I think these days it's flat our irresponsible to use the free version of Gmail for anything important. Either use paid Google Apps or use Fastmail/similar. Email is way too important in life to let it be controlled by a company that has proven they couldn't give a shit about their users.
ProAm 8y ago
You could leave it at "Google has been terrible at communicating"

by arayh 8y ago

tyingq 8y ago

They also aren't granular. So you could lose access to all Google products for violating terms on one of them.

sephoric 8y ago
Of all the reasons to avoid Google, this seems to me like the biggest one that ironically is rarely addressed. If a malicious user flags your account as being in violation of Google's ToS, then all of your Google accounts are at risk of being terminated with no appeal process, no information, and no substantiated hope of recovery. And as far as I understand it, that includes the serious possibility of total data loss from all Google services.
- tyingq 8y ago
  Right. It's worse than it used to be too, because of the breadth of their services. Theoretically, one person on YouTube that flags you could cause you to have a useless (or almost useless...minus your data/config) phone, thermostat, Google Home device, etc. Or, you could lose access to, say, your Google Analytics or Adwords account.
  - tajen 8y ago
    or Gmail. From there, control on any online account you have. Gmail used to be the argument to log in to their services. Now, if you use Gmail, it’s probably better to dodge the other services, by fear of losing Gmail.
- TAForObvReasons 8y ago
  To clarify, are you saying that a youtube flag risks the gmail account with the same username OR that a youtube flag risks all gmail accounts that I control?
  - ysleepy 8y ago
    AFAIK all accounts that are connected via backup email addresses or similar.
    - milesvp 8y ago
      It's potentially worse than this. I've heard rumor that accounts that they suspect to be linked can get included in the dragnet. So even if you are super careful and use a separate google account for youtube with no reference to your personal email account, can get both accounts suspended for unwarrented "copyright violation". I don't know how much of this is FUD spread by people who don't know any better. But given how much data google collects, I wouldn't bet against it being possible.
      - vezycash 8y ago
        >I've heard rumor that accounts that they suspect to be linked can get included in the dragnet. Some people violated Big G's TOS by buying pixels to resell. All their related accounts were closed. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/17/google-suspends-customer-accounts-for-reselling-pixel-phones https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/17/google-su...
  - bigiain 8y ago
    Here's a guy, who admittedly was doing something really dumb, but managed to get his entire company's email accounts suspended: https://www.reddit.com/r/tifu/comments/8kvias/tifu_by_getting_google_to_ban_our_entire_company/ https://www.reddit.com/r/tifu/comments/8kvias/tifu_by_gettin... So someone does something stupid using a work GSuite email account, gets not just the entire company email suspended, but also any staff member's personal gmail accounts that were linked for password recovery for their work email accounts.
wlesieutre 8y ago
They keep trying to get me to shop from Google Express, but the nagging uncertainty about what happens to my Gmail account if I have to do a credit card chargeback against a Google service has me avoiding it.
- B1FF_PSUVM 8y ago
  There you go - reason #1 for not using any other Google service ever: "I do not want my Gmail fukced"
  - SamReidHughes 8y ago
    And here this is the reason I don't use Gmail.
    - MrEldritch 8y ago
      I've been using Gmail since high school, but I'm definitely thinking that it's time for me to abandon ship and actually get my own damn email.
      - realusername 8y ago
        I've moved to Fastmail in 2015 and I had a long term Gmail account since high school, I've never missed Gmail one bit, I encourage you to do it.
        StavrosK 8y ago
        I also moved to Fastmail years ago. I used to think it would be hell to migrate a service as essential as email, but it basically took a repointing of DNS and running Fastmail's importer. It took half an hour and I've been a super happy user ever since, and I couldn't believe how bloated Gmail felt after trying Fastmail.
        kalleboo 8y ago
        The thing keeping me from switching away from Gmail is the lack of IMAP IDLE on iOS. I can’t believe Apple still refuses to implement it in 2018... I see a FastMail app on the App Store but from the screenshots it looks pretty bad (is it just a web view?)
bigiain 8y ago
I wonder if the new "auto login to Chrome" thing will ever one day lock people out of their web browser with no notice or recourse?
ObsoleteNerd 8y ago
I think these days it's flat our irresponsible to use the free version of Gmail for anything important. Either use paid Google Apps or use Fastmail/similar. Email is way too important in life to let it be controlled by a company that has proven they couldn't give a shit about their users.

ProAm 8y ago

You could leave it at "Google has been terrible at communicating"