2/18/2026 at 2:35:46 AM
by TazeTSchnitzel
2/19/2026 at 12:31:23 AM
I wonder if there's some hack here where you set yourself up as a parent account for a non-existent child so your account can't be childed.by muzani
2/18/2026 at 4:57:57 PM
Let this be a warning of using a Google account for anything important full stop. Same for Microsoft, Apple, or any of the big tech companies.by ifh-hn
2/19/2026 at 1:25:08 AM
So, what is your proposed alternative? Roll your own everything? Put your trust in a dozen small companies with no reputation?by Jeremy1026
2/19/2026 at 9:05:20 AM
Yeah, actually that's what I do. I pay for important services and choose companys where that actually respond to you. Email, calendar, etc I pay fastmail, for example. But really you can't avoid having to trust someone/thing.As much as possible though I don't use services at all for important things. My photos for example are not in the cloud. And I have backups where that is not possible. Do I have a Google account? Yes I have many. What would happen if Google locked me out of one? Nothing I'd move on because I don't care.
You can't eliminate the risk but you can do things to limit it, and that starts with recognising Google/apple/Microsoft don't give a shit about you or your data. And you are not worth their time if their systems flag your stuff for deletion.
by ifh-hn