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Comment by ArlenBales | Hacker News Reader

That's the quickest route to having your Google account permanently suspended. (YouTube, Gmail, etc. goodbye)

I wonder if this is a good thing.

Really random aside incoming:

I once was only able to quit my League of Legends video game addiction because I gave my account away that I had so much vested in (skins, all characters, rune pages) by basically messaging a random stranger, changing the account to their email, going to a random password generator site, changing the pw copy+pasting the password without me looking, and sending it off -- in effect "suspending myself".

I was unnerved for a couple of weeks, but eventually, the itch to play died off. I tried starting up a few times, but it wasn't worth it especially knowing how much time I sank into it previously.

I wonder if I got myself permanently suspended from Google, (I want to quit Google given how unethical they have become) would I rid myself from them for good?

He is an Android Developer. Getting banned could have career-disrupting or even career-ending repercussions for him. It is not exactly comparable to quitting a video game.

Start building iPhone apps? It’s not as if there aren’t any alternatives.

I'm sure the costs (both direct costs and the opportunity cost) of a career change is orders of magnitude higher than the $70 he is going to get back through the chargeback.

F-Droid repos.

Stop being so helpless, "hacker" community...

I tried to do the same thing with an expensive bottle of liquor a few weeks ago. It only worked for a week :/

I'm sorry to hear that. Alcoholism or just an expensive habit?

If alcoholism, luckily it is taken "more seriously" than video game addiction. Although now as I get older I just realize addiction is a trait we all have the propensity for, and some people just manifest it in healthy ways where as some of us in not so healthy ways. I have people in my family that were compulsive gamblers, alcoholics, workaholics, and drug addicts, sometimes a combination of all four -- all different forms of addictions. Sometimes I view my video game addiction in that light: "well at least it wasn't drugs or alcohol" but, who knows, maybe in 50 years we will find out that it harmed me just as much.

Definitely some form of Alcoholism, but not crippling and not expensive since I can tolerate the $15 1.75l vodka, mixed with water. Never (mostly) during work or times I expect to drive. But most days, for the past 20 years, from 5PM to 11:30PM I have a strong drink on hand. The big bottle last only 3 days. I only get bad hangovers once in a while, though there's no doubt the habit slows me down during the day. And I'm a huggy drunk, not angry. In fact, people seem to prefer tipsy me over sober me. I'm sure it has damaged my body (but who goes to the doctor?) and I felt way better in general the week I was off it. I quit Ultima Online (decades ago), smoking (years ago), and caffeine (months ago) without assistance, I'm pretty sure I can get this figured out. Maybe abstaining from things can be my new addiction :)

So basically never get into a business relationship with Google because if they screw you over you have absolutely no recourse, unless you've managed to steer clear of using Gmail, etc.

Google has demonstrated enough times already that your account can be permanently suspended for any or no reason at all. While the services they offer are definitely useful, if people are relying on them in their personal or professional lives it's best to be ready in case they are taken away without notice.

Yeah, their propensity to random account shutdowns in lieu of resolving whatever issues got them worried is why I've started paying FastMail and am slowly migrating to mail at my own domain. I can live without any other Google service, but having been a heavy GMail user for the past decade, account shutdown is an existential threat.

You would think that if they weren't connected that Google wouldn't ban you across accounts, but I know a person who had their name banned from Uber, so if Google wanted they probably could deny services to you.

And this is why we don't use gmail

I'd love to find a good alternative to Gmail.

Since I don’t know what your requirements are, I’m just going to list some “good alternatives” for email that are paid services and have a better focus on privacy/customers:

- Posteo.de

- Runbox

- Mailbox.org

- Mailfence

As a Gmail user, you’re probably not as concerned about five eyes surveillance as some others may be. If that’s true, then add Fastmail into the above mix.

FastMail

There is nothing of value on my google account. Everything that is, has backups on my own servers or mirrored to other services. I consume youtube only via rss-bridge, so my youtube account being banned means I only loose nothing at all.

I'd chargeback Google in a heartbeat if I had even minimal reason to do so.

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