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them, and quietly assume they’ll be there whenever we need them – but what if access to your digital life was suddenly withdrawn, with no recourse to appeal and no understanding of why you’d been locked out?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.”
The%20specs
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Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
HOW TO WATCH
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
25-MAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Daniel Akpeyi
Defenders: Olaoluwa Aina, Abdullahi Shehu, Chidozie Awaziem, William Ekong, Leon Balogun, Kenneth Omeruo, Jamilu Collins, Semi Ajayi
Midfielders: John Obi Mikel, Wilfred Ndidi, Oghenekaro Etebo, John Ogu
Forwards: Ahmed Musa, Victor Osimhen, Moses Simon, Henry Onyekuru, Odion Ighalo, Alexander Iwobi, Samuel Kalu, Paul Onuachu, Kelechi Iheanacho, Samuel Chukwueze
On Standby: Theophilus Afelokhai, Bryan Idowu, Ikouwem Utin, Mikel Agu, Junior Ajayi, Valentine Ozornwafor
UFC%20FIGHT%20NIGHT%3A%20SAUDI%20ARABIA%20RESULTS
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THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6
Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km
Price: Dh375,000
On sale: now
Film: Raid
Dir: Rajkumar Gupta
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Ileana D'cruz and Saurabh Shukla
Verdict: Three stars
Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20The%20Cloud%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20George%20Karam%20and%20Kamil%20Rogalinski%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hub71%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Food%20technology%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20size%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%2B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Middle%20East%20Venture%20Partners%2C%20Olayan%20Financing%2C%20Rua%20Growth%20Fund%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eco%20Way%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20December%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ivan%20Kroshnyi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Electric%20vehicles%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Bootstrapped%20with%20undisclosed%20funding.%20Looking%20to%20raise%20funds%20from%20outside%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20CarbonSifr%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202022%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Onur%20Elgun%2C%20Mustafa%20Bosca%20and%20Muhammed%20Yildirim%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Climate%20tech%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%241%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What is safeguarding?
“Safeguarding, not just in sport, but in all walks of life, is making sure that policies are put in place that make sure your child is safe; when they attend a football club, a tennis club, that there are welfare officers at clubs who are qualified to a standard to make sure your child is safe in that environment,” Derek Bell explains.
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
