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If your facebook account gets banned for some reason, you would lose your entire paid game library and would not be able to use the hardware you spent your cash

If your facebook account gets banned for some reason, you would lose your entire paid game library and would not be able to use the hardware you spent your cash on.

nsxwolf 5y ago
Now your Meta account can get banned for some reason. I assume the ToS will be very similar. It's a platform, you can say things on it, you can potentially abuse people on it. There may come a day where the world is utterly broken for the unaugmented, just a confusing sterile landscape camouflaged in QR codes. Getting kicked off the Metaverse will be a terrifying form of exile. But it will all be a private company's decision, so that will make it OK.
- 14 5y ago
  It is still better to keep as many accounts separate as possible. At least right now if you get banned from Facebook your google account doesn’t get banned also. And though I have never been banned from Facebook I wouldn’t want to tie real life game purchases to a social media account where saying the wrong thing might end you up in trouble. Hard pass.
  - Liquix 5y ago
    Not being banned is nice, but keeping your accounts separate does nothing to prevent the data points you mentioned being linked, especially within the Meta ecosystem. Even outside of the ecosystem, there are billion dollar companies that are very very good at tying together all your 'unrelated' accounts/data points and selling these packages to the highest bidder. It's prudent to assume that big brother and anyone else who cared enough to look could link said activity to you.
    - hairofadog 5y ago
      I keep thinking of that scene from The Beatles' Help in which they all walk into the same apartment through four different doors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx_7xjpySK0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx_7xjpySK0
- ramphastidae 5y ago
  > There may come a day where the world is utterly broken for the unaugmented, just a confusing sterile landscape camouflaged in QR codes https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YJg02ivYzSs https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YJg02ivYzSs
  - hairofadog 5y ago
    Wow, really well done. Thanks for that.
arthur_sav 5y ago
Bingo. I don't want my online persona to be tied to one account or company. Big tech companies are pushing for a 360 approach where all you media, entertainment, work and even finance happens on their platform. But what happens when one of their "AI" bots flags you for some arbitrary reason or they simply don't like you? Google is notorious for automatically banning accounts and it's virtually impossible to get a resolution. Bots ban you and bots "answer" you plea for resolution "We've looked into the issue and you're still banned. Bye." So yeah, facebook bundling all their services under one account is not acceptable.
- Digit-Al 5y ago
  That's the big problem with these massive tech companies. They want to suck more and more of your life into their ecosystems, but they don't want to take on the responsibility that comes with it. When losing your account just meant not being able to look at a few emails or social media their attitude was (almost) acceptable, but when losing access to your account could mean not being able to pay for things (apple pay, google pay), not being able to access stuff you've paid for (any digital content purchases through the account), possibly not even being able to access your phone; then it becomes a more serious responsibility and just suspending an account for arbitrary reasons is no longer acceptable. Unfortunately, the tech companies don't seem to have got the message and still regularly ruin people's lives by banning accounts for no discernible reason and giving no recourse to getting them back. I think if they are going to continue on the course they are on there needs to be some sort of campaign to force them to take more responsibility and to give people a proper channel to get bans investigated. Enforced by some sort of ombudsman or something. Another option could be that if an account is banned for ToS violations the account holder can still log in and access "essential" services such as payments, plus have read-only access to stuff like emails and photos so they can still rescue their lives. I would say a mix of both will be essential.
  - vineyardmike 5y ago
    > Another option could be that if an account is banned for ToS violations the account holder can still log in and access "essential" services such as payments, plus have read-only access to stuff like emails and photos so they can still rescue their lives. In some countries (France?) requires that online purchased products are transferable like in the real world. Mostly this is used for game resale, but it should enable you/the company to transfer purchases to a new account. "You banned me, but give my wife the games I bought"
sillysaurusx 5y ago
This has actually happened, too! I remember a big article about it on HN. Unfortunately I have no time to scrounge it up, but perhaps someone else remembers and can link to it.
- elliekelly 5y ago
  IIRC there’s also a similar lawsuit against Apple. Someone who had purchased quite a lot of content with their Apple ID had their account suspended. I don’t recall the details either but I do remember reading their complaint and thinking they had quite an interesting and creative angle to get around Apple’s TOS that purport to allow Apple to cancel your account at any time for any reason. Edit: Thread discussing the Apple ID suit https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26890055 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26890055
ceejayoz 5y ago
Sure, but that's true whether it's a Facebook account, an Oculus account, a Quest account, or a Meta account, right?
- kjaftaedi 5y ago
  Of this list only one of these creates an account that is searchable and contactable by the general public, and only one of these will ban you if you use a profile photo of anything other than your own face.
8ytecoder 5y ago
Isn’t that true for Apple, Google, Amazon and Microsoft as well? I have games on Xbox, movies in iTunes, books and audiobooks with Amazon. I’ve hedged my bets but it still would be non-trivial loss for me.
- vineyardmike 5y ago
  This is one of the few good thins about streaming only. Apple Music ban you? Switch to Spotify!

If your facebook account gets banned for some reason, you would lose your entire paid game library and would not be able to use the hardware you spent your cash on.

nsxwolf 5y ago

Now your Meta account can get banned for some reason. I assume the ToS will be very similar. It's a platform, you can say things on it, you can potentially abuse people on it. There may come a day where the world is utterly broken for the unaugmented, just a confusing sterile landscape camouflaged in QR codes. Getting kicked off the Metaverse will be a terrifying form of exile. But it will all be a private company's decision, so that will make it OK.

14 5y ago
It is still better to keep as many accounts separate as possible. At least right now if you get banned from Facebook your google account doesn’t get banned also. And though I have never been banned from Facebook I wouldn’t want to tie real life game purchases to a social media account where saying the wrong thing might end you up in trouble. Hard pass.
- Liquix 5y ago
  Not being banned is nice, but keeping your accounts separate does nothing to prevent the data points you mentioned being linked, especially within the Meta ecosystem. Even outside of the ecosystem, there are billion dollar companies that are very very good at tying together all your 'unrelated' accounts/data points and selling these packages to the highest bidder. It's prudent to assume that big brother and anyone else who cared enough to look could link said activity to you.
  - hairofadog 5y ago
    I keep thinking of that scene from The Beatles' Help in which they all walk into the same apartment through four different doors. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx_7xjpySK0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx_7xjpySK0
ramphastidae 5y ago
> There may come a day where the world is utterly broken for the unaugmented, just a confusing sterile landscape camouflaged in QR codes https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YJg02ivYzSs https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YJg02ivYzSs
- hairofadog 5y ago
  Wow, really well done. Thanks for that.

arthur_sav 5y ago

Bingo. I don't want my online persona to be tied to one account or company. Big tech companies are pushing for a 360 approach where all you media, entertainment, work and even finance happens on their platform. But what happens when one of their "AI" bots flags you for some arbitrary reason or they simply don't like you? Google is notorious for automatically banning accounts and it's virtually impossible to get a resolution. Bots ban you and bots "answer" you plea for resolution "We've looked into the issue and you're still banned. Bye." So yeah, facebook bundling all their services under one account is not acceptable.

Digit-Al 5y ago
That's the big problem with these massive tech companies. They want to suck more and more of your life into their ecosystems, but they don't want to take on the responsibility that comes with it. When losing your account just meant not being able to look at a few emails or social media their attitude was (almost) acceptable, but when losing access to your account could mean not being able to pay for things (apple pay, google pay), not being able to access stuff you've paid for (any digital content purchases through the account), possibly not even being able to access your phone; then it becomes a more serious responsibility and just suspending an account for arbitrary reasons is no longer acceptable. Unfortunately, the tech companies don't seem to have got the message and still regularly ruin people's lives by banning accounts for no discernible reason and giving no recourse to getting them back. I think if they are going to continue on the course they are on there needs to be some sort of campaign to force them to take more responsibility and to give people a proper channel to get bans investigated. Enforced by some sort of ombudsman or something. Another option could be that if an account is banned for ToS violations the account holder can still log in and access "essential" services such as payments, plus have read-only access to stuff like emails and photos so they can still rescue their lives. I would say a mix of both will be essential.
- vineyardmike 5y ago
  > Another option could be that if an account is banned for ToS violations the account holder can still log in and access "essential" services such as payments, plus have read-only access to stuff like emails and photos so they can still rescue their lives. In some countries (France?) requires that online purchased products are transferable like in the real world. Mostly this is used for game resale, but it should enable you/the company to transfer purchases to a new account. "You banned me, but give my wife the games I bought"

sillysaurusx 5y ago

This has actually happened, too! I remember a big article about it on HN. Unfortunately I have no time to scrounge it up, but perhaps someone else remembers and can link to it.

elliekelly 5y ago
IIRC there’s also a similar lawsuit against Apple. Someone who had purchased quite a lot of content with their Apple ID had their account suspended. I don’t recall the details either but I do remember reading their complaint and thinking they had quite an interesting and creative angle to get around Apple’s TOS that purport to allow Apple to cancel your account at any time for any reason. Edit: Thread discussing the Apple ID suit https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26890055 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26890055

ceejayoz 5y ago

Sure, but that's true whether it's a Facebook account, an Oculus account, a Quest account, or a Meta account, right?

kjaftaedi 5y ago
Of this list only one of these creates an account that is searchable and contactable by the general public, and only one of these will ban you if you use a profile photo of anything other than your own face.

8ytecoder 5y ago

Isn’t that true for Apple, Google, Amazon and Microsoft as well? I have games on Xbox, movies in iTunes, books and audiobooks with Amazon. I’ve hedged my bets but it still would be non-trivial loss for me.

vineyardmike 5y ago
This is one of the few good thins about streaming only. Apple Music ban you? Switch to Spotify!