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Survival online is getting precarious. Due to the complexity, consolidation and integration of many services, they can effectively become dangerously mercurial
by Nevermark 4y ago
Survival online is getting precarious.
Due to the complexity, consolidation and integration of many services, they can effectively become dangerously mercurial and unaccountable monopoly utilities in some situations.
For one person, a given service can be easily replaced. But for another person, only that service has the right combination of features and is nearly irreplaceable. The service is effectively a monopoly, and if the service is critical, effectively a necessary utility.
This makes these auto-bans, with poor quality and limited time recourse, a landmine for anyone without a legal department or an army of willing upvotes to navigate.
An example: I got banned from a financial institution apparently because I tried using a temporary ID card to validate my identity, a week before I got a real card. (Stupid? In retrospect anyway.)
Unfortunately, due to a combination of local laws and variations in financial institution availability and services - I really, really needed an account with just that financial service.
No information on the problem. No recourse. No further ability to communicate with a human being.
For me that was like being banned from a necessary utility. It caused me, and several organizations and people that depend on me, a very significant amount of grief.