6 ms·
Can confirm this solid advice. Even at a mega-scale social games publisher like Zynga, we had to deal with automated bans all the time. That's why at one point
by cookiengineer 6y ago
Can confirm this solid advice.
Even at a mega-scale social games publisher like Zynga, we had to deal with automated bans all the time. That's why at one point we used an avatar for each game that was separately managed and was basically a separate identity with a separate bank account with a holding company etc.
- Invent an avatar that has their own profile, residence, birth date, gender etc.
- Use separate email addresses, not on your company's domain (to avoid domain bans).
- Use a separate mobile phone number, if possible.
- Use a separate smartphone device. There's Android devices for less than 100 bucks now, so that shouldn't be an issue.
- Make sure the geolocation of the Android device doesn't change too often. Paypal and others block you immediately because they're too stupid to realize people can actually travel and work from multiple locations; even with 2FA and SS7 enabled.
- Use a password manager, use 2FA, and make sure to backup account data and every security question. (and all the other standard practice advice)
- Treat your app's / game's avatar as a separate identity, which means don't have the same friends that your private accounts do. Don't link to other accounts of your ownership. Don't mention other projects of your company, otherwise they'll likely ban both accounts for click fraud.
- andi999 6y agoHow do you make an avatar with a bank account?
- tomcam 6y agoI too am trying to work that one out. My guess is that they used DBAs, each with a separate bank account.
- mnd999 6y agoThey said they used holding companies.
- DocTomoe 6y agoMany fintech banks do give you the option to open up separate accounts with individual bank account numbers quickly and hassle-free, e.g. bunq.
- wwn_se 6y agoIf you are just paying a couple of $100 a month for app related stuff you can just use a new bank if you want and just transfer the amount needed each month. Opening accounts is something banks really like when you do so its usually not hard.
- andi999 6y agoDon't you have to name the account after a real or legal person?
- squiggleblaz 6y agoDepends on the country. A well regulated bank has to know who the real or legal person behind the account is, but that doesn't necessarily mean the name of the bank account has to correspond to the name on a birth certificate. It's the business of the state to make sure they can tax you, but it isn't the business of the state to make sure Google can ban you.
- cookiengineer 6y agoIt also depends on whether your company legally resides in the US or not. And also where the HQ is located (as that's the legal baseline for taxes in Ireland). Most of those mega companies probably are not even paying taxes in the US, due to them having their legal residence in a postbox office in Dublin. In addition to my initial comment: Most banks that offer enterprise/business bank accounts have a feature to split up accounting so that you can manage the financials of teams and suborganizations in a separate manner which eases up filing tax reports, too. I know that this is the case in Europe, but dunno anything about the banking system in the US.
- jannes 6y agoI think you are looking for the term 'legal entity' instead of 'legal person'.
- wizzwizz4 6y ago
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- for_i_in_range 6y agoI find it hard to believe Zynga had to use such techniques unless you’re referring to very early days. I, too, have used the techniques you’ve mentioned and went way down the rabbit hole. Among the things you’ve mentioned also found myself shipping friends and family laptops and Teamviewering into them to use alias accounts. Not fun to have to resort to such tactics. If Zynga still employs such, I shall make a mental note to stay the heck away from their stock.
- uzakov 6y agoI am not sure what you are implying. I am not an expert in this field but based upon the article and comments here it seems that this is something you have to do unless you want to be banned, even nowadays?
- aasasd 6y agoFunny thing, that sounds precisely like what you'd do with shell companies and any other kind of alter-egos making you hard to find. Bonus points if the companies have different owners and formal directors. Nice of Google to educate people how to do this stuff.