Platforms want to be utilities, self-govern like empires

Re:Platforms want to be utilities, self-govern like empires by uniqueid on Monday August 23, 2021 @12:37PM (#28278478)

  Since your email address was also a part of getting into your bank account, now you've got a problem of getting your money, too.

There must be a billion ways to implement account deletion without this happening. The first one that comes to mind is giving the user 6 months of email-only access (so they can move to a webmail provider who will tolerate them).

At any rate, the root cause is that Gmail, the world's largest webmail service, is affiliated with the world's largest search engine and the world's largest repository of video. Never mind this essay about social media, the connection between these three services is a ridiculous, dangerous thing.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Platforms want to be utilities, self-govern like empires by Falling3 on Monday August 23, 2021 @01:39PM (#28279341)

Yea, the multiple uses of a single account strikes me as the bigger issue here. Why would my email access by tied to my ability to comment on a video sharing website? Same issue as Oculus requiring a facebook account.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Platforms want to be utilities, self-govern like empires by ashtonkem on Monday August 23, 2021 @03:34PM (#28280849)

I disagree, it’s the tying of your email address to a provider. If your email goes to “[email protected]”, then a quick MX change side steps a Google ban trivially.

But if your email address is “[email protected]”, you’re kind of screwed.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Platforms want to be utilities, self-govern like empires by MandieD on Monday August 23, 2021 @05:23PM (#28282155)

Now the problem is making the acquisition, setup and maintenance of personal domain names and mapping to an email account something the average literate adult can manage.

…and chuckling ruefully as I recall walking recent college grads who are far better devs than I am through what needed to happen for SendGrid to actually work for one of their project, having to start with “what is an MX record?” and “where is that controlled?”

[ Parent | on HN ]