It’s been some years that I am not able to log in to my Google account, because I stopped using it for a very long time any Google product, and now even providing my password, they say they can not know if it is me or now…
They send me to this support page which seems like I have lost my account with all the data and stuff I had from when I was younger…
I don’t think this is normal or ethic to do (I know Google has been never ethic), but this makes me so angry because I never wanted to lose all that data…
Do they basically know every people networks? And if you don’t let them know… you lose access to Google? … 😠
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Yep.
I have an old Google account from like 2012 that was a spam trap account I made back when you could easily sign up anonymously for gmail over Tor. It will not let me log into it anymore unless I connect a phone number to it. It hems and haws about how this is “for your protection” but really it’s pretty simple that your activity has no value to Google unless they can tie it to your identity and connect it to other activity and then bundle that and sell it to advertisers. (And fuck you Google, I’m not protecting that account from anyone except you… hackers are WELCOME to know I types a throwaway email into some online medical insurance shit…)
In fact, if you don’t want companies to collect your data, you’re more and more locked out of any app, service or platform that asks for a verified email. I’ve encountered things recently that won’t accept protonmail emails (and invite you to use OAuth to sign in with Google, Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, fuck that noise).
I actually imagine that OAuth locked to a major provider FOR EVERYTHING is the future those guys would all like to see.
Yep. Twitch (Amazon) has started requiring people to add their phone number to be able to message each other and plan to lock out access to more and more features if you don’t.
They also stopped accepting one-time use CC numbers because, obviously, they’re a great privacy feature offered by some banks.
Yeah, I recently tried to sign up for a Playstation account and they wouldn’t let me use Proton. Thankfully I could use simplelogin but really shouldnt’ve needed to.
I’m new to Simple Login, though I’ve used throwaway addresses like mytrashmail (with no link to my real email of course) for a while. What I wonder is, if Sony are fussy about Proton, why do simplelogin domains not trip them up? That would seem even dodgier if you thought only services like Google’s were trustworthy.
Pretty sure its a domain blacklist, not whitelist. Not sure how they blocked Proton without blocking SimpleLogin, because anyone who does any research into Proton will hear about it.
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Happens to me all the time when I’m on VPN.
Also, stop using the conjunction “so” to start sentences.
Happens to me all the time when I’m on VPN.
That sentence fragment is missing a subject.
The subject is implicit.
If you mean that communicating an idea using language should take priority over strict adherence to rules of grammar, and that language is a living, changing thing continuously redefined by its usage, I agree.
No, I usually aspire to be nice.
That non-sequitur is a perfect example of impeccable grammar that fails to adequately communicate an idea.
I am so tired of doing all their fucking captchas because I run a vpn. It’s so obnoxious.
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So, let me get this straight… The Capcha is trying to verify that you’re a human, and you’re using a bot to prove that you’re, in fact, not a bot? This is friggin genius!
If anything the bot is far more successful than I am solving captchas manually
I would categorize this as a complete and utter failure of the capcha concept and company.
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Appreciate it!
So, what happens if you don’t stop using so to start sentences?
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Same problem. No other ways to verify, just my FULLY CORRECT PASSWORD, so Google has decided I’ll never get to access my old account again.
I posted about it on the Google forum and was told by a self important community person that it is my fault for not logging back into that account to set up backups.
Happy to switch off Gmail now, but it won’t get my old emails with bygone friends and family back.
My fault for expecting my password to get me into my account. Fuck Google man.
Shit scared of this myself, that’s why I have an email client even though I was pretty happy with the web browser. At least there’s local copies. Already lost my hotmail account in a similar manner. Suddenly my password was considered incorrect, no means of recovery because I wasn’t keen on giving them personal info. I guess this somewhat proved their point but it all seems a bit fucked. My password was fine, had been using it since 1998.
It gets worse. Not having used my Gmail account for years, old phone died, moved to another state with new number there, and I traveled back to Los Angeles in order to log in on the same network, same laptop, correct password, but I put a new HDD in my Macbook Pro which caused Apple to re-ID the OS, and locked out! No way to recover, I try twice a year. Will not even reset to the correct backup email I have! I just get an email saying I tried to login with no actions possible!
Google stole parts of my life from me, the history in those emails, wow!
STOLEN
I AM NOT MY PHONE
Not your hard drive, not your data.
In Europe you own your data. Don’t you have the California act or something like that there?
In Europe you own your data.
Er, that’s not quite what the GDPR means and doesn’t apply in this case. In fact, Google could cite the GDPR in making sure that OPs data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.
The GDPR gives you a bunch of rights if you’re a EU or UK citizen, including the right for data /about you/ to be forgotten or disclosed. It doesn’t mean google have to hold onto stuff indefinitely (quite the reverse) or provide OP access if they can’t meet Google’s security requirements.
You can request a copy of your data according to Art. 15 of the GDPR. If they reject this, escalate to your local data protection authority. This way, you could gain access to the data even if Google tries to block you.
… well, theoretically, at least.
Two points here:
- If they still have OPs data. It’s entirely possible Google is using this technique as a blind because they’ve just expired the account. There are big headlines for “Google deleted my data”, and much smaller ones for “I couldn’t log into my Google account because I lost my phone”
2, To make a SAR (Subject Access Request), which is what you’re referring to - you need to be able to prove your identity beyond reasonable doubt. Google would obviously refuse that if you can’t log into your account. It would actually be illegal for them to provide that data without such proof, which is why you need to log in to access the Google Takeout features that provide most or all the data a SAR would include.
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PSA: please remember that when Google is talking about security - they mean financial security of their stockholders.
Passwords are no longer passwords?
I’ve had Google temporarily lock my account even though:
- I knew my username and password.
- I knew the answer to my secret questions.
- I had the 2FA code from the authenticator app.
- I had access to my email and could confirm it’s me using links they sent in mails.
- They had my phone number and could send a text with a confirmation code.
- They could pop up a confirmation notification right on the phone.
- They could probably have asked me to fart in B flat and they’d detect it, they’re so far up my ass.
None of that matters. Their stupid system will automatically decide to lock you out for whatever reason and that’s it.
I’m glad I reduced the use of that email address down to nothing and that I moved out my calendar and events and I’m no longer using Google Pay.
They could pop up a confirmation notification right on the phone.
Which, btw, does not work without running Google (tracking) Services on your phone.
I still have about 3-4 old google accounts I can’t log into anymore since 2015 or so. They started asking questions like “when did you create your account”, “what was your first password” and shit like that. Luckily I had that information, even with that they wouldn’t let me in for some reason. Luckily the accounts weren’t private and just full of spam, so they were of no value.
Leave google when you can.
I have an alternate Google Account for You Tube when they started requiring that. I must have gotten my name before there was strict guidelines. It is still active. I am the proud owner of the Account FuckYouGoogle.
Is there a miss Fuckyougoogle?
It’s an honor meeting you tips hat
Gotta love that punishment for keeping your private information, well private.
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I hate this stuff. People can’t manage passwords and get hacked all the time, so they implement all of these extra checks that get in the way when I’m on travel. It’s an enormous pain.
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Good luck to you. I’ve seen this happen a few times and I’ve never heard of anyone who successfully recovered an account with this type of lockout situation.
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Yeah I lost about 10 accounts this way. Basically if you never linked a phone number, they ban you.
I have never linked a number nor ever been banned
i think linking a backup account and giving security questions can replace providing a phone number but I’m not sure
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My favorite was getting locked out of a multi-year account that had paid GPlay apps that required an active account to run. The app purchases are tied to the account so they effectively stole those subscription fees.
I still have to maintain a G account for that one app. (Radarscope)
The same thing is going on with Google Play gift cards. I’ve lost $150 not understanding how difficult it is to correct any issues with redeeming them as they don’t have phone support for them, only automated email.
Since I have rocks in my head I tried 13 times to get the issue fixed with photos of the card and the receipts. The store were they were bought washed their hands of it saying there’s no refunds on gift cards. It was ridiculous and I had to give up. I needed to do charge backs on my credit card and I can never redeem a gift card on my google accounts again.
Reading online it happens often where people buy them in a grocery store with cash and are unable to redeem them and there is no recourse. Google is keeping millions of dollars of unused Google Play cards. At least there was a class action lawsuit at one point in California about it. Not sure if it’s gotten anywhere. This is when I think government intervention is needed.
This literally made me do a full switch to proton. I can’t login with my password without accepting it on my phone (that don’t have google services so I had to use from my girlfriend). And if I use my another e-mail to validate the 2-factor it always mandate me to change my password like my account was compromised. You literally can’t have a google account without an android apparently (this is probably not true for everyone cause apple exists but IDK, in my case I had no other way).
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I just want to keep gmail in order to get access to all accounts I forgot to migrate, I had a lot of old games and stuff like that that I would migrate as I remember. If was not that I already had blown this account.
I lost my 2 factor for an old account. I have the password and backup codes. I can log in with SMS code, but can’t change anything because it wants the 2 factor code. There’s a log in with a different method button, but it also asks for the 2 factor code.
A lot of services (e.g. reddit) outright refuse to reset anything if you lose your 2FA. Phone breaks and your backup codes got wet? Oops, there goes your account.
Yeah, I recently lost my 14-year-old Facebook account with no option to download my data while suspended. The suspension even was a bug following me setting my account to hacked by accident and releasing it (which took 2 days) again… Half a day after I set it to ‘not hacked’ anymore, changing my email snd password, it flew in suspension, to which I was given 1 attempt at 'Disagree’ing, which I did, but it’s been slmosty 4 months now: the page still says to check back often for a result, but when I log out it tells me I haven’t 'disagree’d yet (though it will not allow me to redo it)… Lost 14 years of journalling data and uploaded creations in a second… 😕
Best of all: There’s absolutely no decent support system where you can go if their “automation” fails… They expect the automation and a basic faq suffices for whatever problem you have, and have no way to complain about it if it doesn’t…
I don’t think Google has a decent support system anymore either… They should fine big monopolistic companies if they can’t even provide a decent support system for exceptional cases, imho…
I have an FB account from 2010 that I didn’t sign into for 2-3 years. I tried and they wanted me to send them my driver’s license… uh, no. Sillier thing is I have a linked instagram account I have signed into every week or two with no problems.
About five years ago, I had my Facebook name set to be my first name three times, first middle and last. Facebook thought it was fake, rightfully so, so they demanded that I send photo ID to verify myself. At that time, I didn’t have valid ID. didn’t have valid ID for about seven years at that time, I sure as fuck wasn’t going to get one just to use Facebook. I decided to just delete the account, then I deleted all of my other Facebook accounts, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc. they’re getting way too greedy
They expect the automation and a basic faq suffices for whatever problem you have
No they don’t, and they know it doesn’t, they just don’t give a fuck. They’re worth a bajillion dollars and anything else is just chatter to them.
In many European countries, you have legal recourse here. They’re not allowed to make arbitrary decisions like this in most places here. You could sue them to get your account re-instated.
I’m from Europe, but sueing costs money… 😕
There are consumer unions with hired lawyers. In Spain there’s Facua and OCU (but the 2d one is governmental, I think)
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I’ve actually recovered my account (I was reported, and suspended, for using a false name) and along with the identification they requested I submitted a picture of a hand-written letter explaining why I used this name.
my account was reinstated.
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it was a few years ago now, I’m sorry - if I still hand it it’ll be deeply buried in my inbox
No, there’s a US phonenumber, “tollfree” (as if that matters when I’m in Europe, it’ll still cost me a lot either way), and it connects you to a multiple choice voice recording with no option to speak to a real person, and most support related stuff apparently just tells you to go click the “help link at the bottom of the facebookpage”. First of all, suspended I have little to no options anymore as the site tries it’s best to lock you out completely, even preventing you from seeing stuff you can see fine when logged out, and secondly, if I use another account for it: There is no bottom of the facebookpage, it’s infinite scroll… 😅 Anyway, I did use the “report a problem” a bunch of times, but that apparently had no effect either… I also tried dm’ing Facebook on Twitter as some say they sometimes answer there, but apparently I’m not part of that sometimes and got no reaction there either. 🤷♂️
Folks, get regular Google Takeouts (you can schedule them) and back them up using something like Vorta + borgbase.com
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Is there a tutorial for this ?
Probably if you Google it or search on the Vorta website.
The short version, after some research, is that Borg is better suited for Linux users as it involves ssh key based authentication to the backup server hosted on borgbase.com.
Whereas restic is maybe simpler to setup if you’re on Windows.
The good news is that, whichever “protocol” you use, borgase.com provides cheap cloud storage supporting both, for as little as 24€/year for 250 GB. It’s the plan I have and it fits comfortably my ~130GB of Google Photos + all the other Gapps exports (~10GB gmail + 15GB gdocs being the biggest offenders after photos).
You can read a lot about this by just Googling Borg vs restic.
Both Borg and restic are just the backend apps, you’ll want a frontend as well, be it a CLI or a separate GUI application. Since I use Borg on Linux I paired it with Vorta, simple GUI and has scheduled backups and alerts you if they haven’t run in a while, plus you can mount your backups to local paths to inspect their contents and extract data selectively.
Dunno if the same is possible with restic, but there are also GUIs for that, for sure.
Enjoy!
I mean, is there a tutorial on how Borg gets the Takeout files ? Do I have to do that manually or is there an automated process to hand over the take out files for me ?
Not that I’m aware of, I’m doing the Takeout part by myself.
You can however request the Takeout to be recurring, e.g. once every N months. Or you can just request a one time takeout.
I did the latter just to know how much space it takes, but I’m going for the recurring ones from now on. Google will send you a mail once the Takeout archive(s) is/are ready for download.
I’ll try automate the whole process, if successful, I’ll post about it.
Also Google: “Oh! And P.S.: can we also have your lunch money? It’s for your own security, you see. You may starve, but you’re doing it securely. You’re welcome!”
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