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Re:Google users locked out after 15 years' use by beowulfey on Monday November 02, 2020 @10:11AM (#24968901)
I mean we do not pay the USPS or FedEx or UPS, etc. to agree to send mail to our address. I was making a comparison between mail and email services. Hopefully this clarifies what I meant.
Re:Google users locked out after 15 years' use by slightwinder on Tuesday November 03, 2020 @04:30AM (#24977971)
Still makes no sense. We do not pay mail-providers for the address alone, but mainly for running the servers which deliver and store the mails. Which is the same for which USPS/Fedex/UPS/etc. are paid for.

You want a mail-address? Grab your own domain (thus pay "tax"), put a server there (build a "house") and you are there. Getting an address, be it physical or digital never comes for free, and there is not human right for having one.

Re:Google users locked out after 15 years' use by beowulfey on Tuesday November 03, 2020 @08:47AM (#24979590)
Alright, then I take back what I said in my parent comment about how "we don't pay for a home address". I'll concede that we do pay for a home address.

However, that doesn't change the fact that the economic model has changed when it comes to email. We no longer pay with money, but we pay in other ways when we use Google. So it's actually worse than with mail, because there used to be a clear exchange of goods but it is now obfuscated. And thus, there is nothing mandating good service, which is why people can be randomly banned from using it.

Re:Google users locked out after 15 years' use by bryan_w on Monday November 02, 2020 @11:11AM (#24969633)
This makes the case for USPS to provide email services.