The internet is widely considered to be a human right. Billions of us would struggle without it. As such, some of the biggest technology companies in the world now provide what have become essential services.
Google and Apple have actively positioned themselves at the centre of our lives; we use them to communicate, to get from A to B, to work and to play. We don’t always realise how much we rely on them, and quietly assume they’ll be there whenever we need them – but what if access to your digital life was suddenly withdrawn, with no recourse to appeal and no understanding of why you’d been locked out?
It can happen. The latest high-profile case involves a game studio, Re-Logic, and its president, Andrew Spinks, co-author of multi-million selling game Terraria.
At the end of January, access to the firm’s entire Google account of 15 years – including YouTube, Gmail and all purchases made on Google Play – was disabled for unknown reasons. In a statement posted on Twitter after three weeks of trying and failing to regain access, Spinks expressed his anger in forceful terms.
“I absolutely have not done anything to violate your terms of service, so I can take this no other way than you deciding to burn this bridge. My company will no longer support any of your platforms moving forward. I will not be involved with a corporation that values their customers and partners so little.”
Google doesn’t need Re-Logic’s business to survive, but this only provides a stark reminder of the one-sided relationship we have with so-called Big Tech, and our lack of power in cases where we feel unfairly treated.
Cases crop up all the time: the Android user locked out of his Google account after he moved to a different city, with attempts to regain access denied; the journalist shut out of Apple’s services after unwittingly spending a fraudulent iTunes gift card; a small business banned from Google Shopping as its business began to boom.
I can still use GMail, YouTube and countless other services. I can place orders in their store. So do they believe I'm a bad guy or not?
In each case, there was a notable lack of information given about the supposed misdemeanour.
“We will not be restoring your account.” “See the terms and conditions.” “It is our policy to not discuss the specific reasons for an account closure.”
These are just the cases we hear about. Often, publicity can lead to accounts being reinstated, but game developer Todd Mitchell, who was banned for life from one Google service, AdSense, in 2015, finds this lack of consistency troubling.
“Would you [reinstate an account] for someone you believe defrauded you, just because you found out they were popular?” he asks. “I can still use GMail, YouTube and countless other services. I can place orders in their store. So do they believe I’m a bad guy or not? I suspect they don’t want to spend time to resolve their own bans, or they’re comfortable enforcing them even when they can’t prove the account holder is to blame.”
The problem essentially stems from the size of firms such as Google, Facebook and Apple. Having offered free services to the world on a massive scale, providing meaningful customer service to billions of people is inherently difficult.
The terms of service we agree to when we sign up – many pages in length – often grant authority for our access to be denied for any number of reasons without explanation.
Then there’s the sheer breadth of the services they provide; a firm which oversees the reviews you post on a shopping portal might also be the one you use to control your home thermostat. Having a single point of failure for your entire digital existence is unwise, but it’s something we’ve been encouraged to embrace.
“I don’t know what’s worse: being locked out or locked in,” says Aral Balkan, co-founder of non-profit Small Technology Foundation. “Perhaps it isn’t a great idea to give a handful of trillion-dollar Silicon Valley monopolies complete control over our lives in the digital network age.”
We may consider the likelihood of us being on the receiving end of a ban to be too small to worry about. Spare a thought, then, for Seattle artist Meghan Trainor, who in 2019 was locked out of multiple online accounts for the crime of having the same name as a pop star 20 years her junior.
Realistically, I think new laws are always going to trail behind a lot of damage. It's more important we learn to limit the risks we take
Our own forgetfulness or poor security practices can also land us in the same position. Google, Apple and the like offer account recovery facilities if we forget our password or are unlucky enough to be hacked, but unless we keep those details up to date – back-up email addresses, phone numbers, devices – we can be locked out, often permanently.
Companies must retain the right to deny access to certain customers. Countless online accounts are banned every day for perfectly legitimate reasons to keep the rest of us safe.
But there are growing calls for better appeal procedures for cases of injustice, or better laws to recognise how critical these services have become to modern life.
“Realistically, I think new laws are always going to trail behind a lot of damage. It’s more important we learn to limit the risks we take,” says Mitchell.
“I think we’re still coming to terms with the fact that these essential and convenient service providers can’t be expected to look after our best interests. Governing bodies will step in when a problem gets too big to ignore, but we’re responsible for developing a situational awareness online, just like in the real world, to make sure we’re not tripped up.”
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
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1. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1hr 21min 48.527sec
2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) at 0.658sec
3. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull) 6.012
4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 7.430
5. Kimi Räikkönen (FIN/Ferrari) 20.370
6. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas) 1:13.160
7. Sergio Pérez (MEX/Force India) 1 lap
8. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Force India) 1 lap
9. Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams) 1 lap
10. Lance Stroll (CAN/Williams) 1 lap
11. Jolyon Palmer (GBR/Renault) 1 lap
12. Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL/McLaren) 1 lap
13. Nico Hülkenberg (GER/Renault) 1 lap
14. Pascal Wehrlein (GER/Sauber) 1 lap
15. Marcus Ericsson (SWE/Sauber) 2 laps
16. Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Toro Rosso) 3 laps
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The biog
Favourite book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Favourite holiday destination: Spain
Favourite film: Bohemian Rhapsody
Favourite place to visit in the UAE: The beach or Satwa
Children: Stepdaughter Tyler 27, daughter Quito 22 and son Dali 19
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
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