Add a draft for the Google Voice banning

astro.config.mjs

@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ export default defineConfig({
         mdx(),
         sitemap({
             filter: (page) =>
+                !page.includes("blog/google-banned-me-from-google-voice") &&
                 !page.includes("blog/the-black-hole-problem") &&
                 !page.includes("blog/beat-the-drum") &&
                 !page.includes("blog/the-power-of-the-link") &&

src/pages/blog/google-banned-me-from-google-voice.md

@@ -0,0 +1,317 @@
+---
+layout: ../../layouts/BlogPostLayout.astro
+categories:
+  - miscellaneous
+date: "2024-11-03"
+unlisted: true
+title: Google Banned Me From Google Voice
+---
+
+After 15 years, Google banned me from [Google Voice](https://voice.google.com/).
+This post is a summary of what happened, with the hope that it might help
+someone in the future who runs into the same situation. [At the
+end](#retrospective), I have some
+thoughts about the latent danger of being banned from Google at any time with no
+notice.
+
+## Background
+
+I got my first cell phone in high school and immediately signed up for Google
+Voice simply because I wanted to be able to send and receive texts from my
+computer. So my Google Voice number is the only one I've ever given out to
+friends, and I use it as my phone number whenever I can. The only time I use my
+"real" Verizon phone number is when I can't receive verification codes because
+some services block [VoIP](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_over_IP) numbers.
+
+That was a minor annoyance, and I've loved being able to text and even call from
+any device, even if my phone was off or not in service (e.g. traveling
+internationally). So I stuck with it for 15 years. My only worry has been that
+it seems like another product that Google could easily decide to kill off and
+send to the [Google graveyard](https://killedbygoogle.com/) at any moment. But
+that turned out to be the wrong worry for me.
+
+## Getting Banned
+
+My problems started on October 4, 2024. I got a notification on my phone saying
+I had been logged out of my Google account. This had never happened to me
+before, and I thought someone might be trying to hack into my account. I was
+concerned but not terribly worried because I had two-factor authentication
+turned on. On my personal laptop, I saw a notification that I had been logged
+out of Google Drive.
+
+I logged back in on my phone and laptop, going through two-factor authentication
+both times. Then I checked the [security
+log](https://myaccount.google.com/notifications) for my Google account. I saw
+that my account had been disabled at 12:55 pm, but the log didn't have any
+details about why. Logging back in had restored my account at 2:38 pm.
+
+The log didn't have any other security activity, like login attempts. I even
+reviewed my [full Google activity](https://myactivity.google.com) but didn't see
+anything that I didn't recognize.  Everything seemed back to normal, so I went
+back to work.
+
+A few hours later, I tried sending some pictures in a group text in Google
+Voice. The first picture went through fine. But when I tried to send a second
+one, I received an error message that said something like "Sorry, there was an
+error. Please try again later." I retried a few times. Then I tried sending a
+plain text message to my wife and got the same error.
+
+I was worried that it was related to my account being deactivated, but the
+optimist in me thought that maybe Google Voice was having an outage. Until I got
+home and went on my laptop to check Google Voice in my browser. It redirected me
+to [this Google support
+page](https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/40039?p=grandcentral) with this
+message:
+
+> Unable to access a Google product
+>
+> If you've been redirected to this page from a particular product, it means
+> that your access to this product has been suspended. Read on for more
+> information.
+>
+> Your access to this Google product has been suspended because of a perceived
+> violation of either the [Google Terms of
+> Service](https://www.google.com/policies/terms/) or product-specific Terms of
+> Service. For specific product guidelines, please visit the homepage of each
+> Google product you're interested in for a link to its Terms of Service.
+>
+> Google reserves the right to:
+>
+> * Disable an account for investigation.
+> * Suspend a Google Account user from accessing a particular product or the
+>   entire Google Accounts system, if the Terms of Service or [product-specific
+>   policies](https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/147806) are violated.
+> * Terminate an account at any time, for any reason, with or without notice.
+>
+> Next steps for suspended accounts: If you believe your access to this product
+>was suspended in error, [contact
+>us](https://support.google.com/accounts/contact/suspended).
+>
+> Tip: If you are not redirected to this page from a product, review your
+> [service restrictions to file an
+> appeal](https://myaccount.google.com/restrictions).
+
+My heart sank. Getting banned by Google's automated systems is a situation that
+I have read [plenty of
+stories](https://www.google.com/search?q=hacker+news+google+account+disabled+site:news.ycombinator.com)
+about, and I had an idea of what was next: a Kafkaesque situation in which I
+would probably never talk to an actual human being, I'd never get any useful
+details, and I would likely be forced to accept losing my phone number.
+
+I tried making an outbound call. It didn't work. I asked my wife to call me.
+That didn't work either. I asked my wife to text me. From her perspective, it
+looked like it worked, but I obviously couldn't see the text. That was even
+worse because it meant that anyone who texted me wouldn't get any indication
+that anything was wrong.
+
+## First Appeal
+
+The Google support page advised me to [submit a
+form](https://support.google.com/accounts/contact/suspended) appealing the
+suspension. I did so immediately, explaining that I was suspended right after
+sending a picture and noting that I had been logged out of my Google account
+earlier in the day. I received an automated email:
+
+> Thank you for contacting us about restoring access to your Google Account.
+>
+> Google will review your appeal as soon as possible. Most requests take 2
+> business days to review, but some might take longer.
+>
+> You may be able to download your data from some Google services. To get
+> started, sign in to your account. If your account is eligible, you’ll see a
+> link to download your data.
+>
+> Thanks for your patience.
+
+I did try to use [Google Takeout](https://takeout.google.com/) to export my
+data, but Google Voice no longer shows up in the list of products, even though
+I'm sure it did in the past because I have [exported my Google Voice
+data](https://support.google.com/voice/answer/10130510?hl=en) before. So the
+suspension presumably affected that as well.
+
+I subscribe to a [Google One](https://one.google.com/about) plan. I knew that
+one of the more understated benefits is the ability to get live support from an
+actual person, something that is generally impossible with Google. I had nothing
+to lose, so I started a chat. It ended up being a waste of time because the
+person I talked to was fixated on me mentioning getting logged out of my
+account. So they started recommending ways to protect my account. When I brought
+the conversation back to the Google Voice suspension, they were unable to access
+the ticket that was created when I submitted my appeal. So I ended the
+conversation.
+
+On October 6 (two days later), I heard back about my appeal:
+
+> Hello,
+>
+> We have reviewed your request and cannot reinstate your Google Voice service.
+> Your Google Voice service has been suspended for violations of our [Google
+> Voice Policies](https://support.google.com/voice/answer/9230450?hl=en).
+>
+> If you have any further questions, please consult the [Google Voice Help
+> Center](https://support.google.com/voice/#topic=13968863).
+>
+> Thanks,
+>
+> Google Voice Support Team
+
+## Second Appeal
+
+On October 7, I submitted a second appeal. I explained that I reviewed the
+Google Voice policies and did not believe I violated any of them. I never sent
+large quantities of texts, I never sent commercial texts, I only used it to text
+friends and family, and there was nothing remotely inappropriate about the
+picture I sent right before I was suspended. The picture was of four adults
+around a baby in a stroller on a sidewalk. The baby is dressed and even has a
+blanket on him. I added that that was the only text I sent on the day I was
+suspended, and I didn't make any calls that day.
+
+On October 8, I received the same reply that I got for the first appeal.
+
+I considered writing this blog post immediately, posting it to Hacker News, and
+hopefully getting enough traction that someone at Google would see it and do
+something about it. But I didn't bother because even on the off chance that it
+worked, I wouldn't be able to trust Google Voice again and would still want to
+port my phone number out.
+
+## Reclaiming My Number
+
+At this point, porting my number out was my only priority. I didn't want to tell
+all my friends and family to use a new number. And I didn't want to deal with
+trying to update my number for a countless number of services, especially since
+I'm sure it'd be a hassle for many of them without access to the old number.
+
+I did some searching and learned that the Google Voice subreddit has [an entire
+document on suspensions](https://www.reddit.com/r/Googlevoice/comments/17n4zl2/google_voice_service_suspensions/). Suspensions apparently happen often enough that the subreddit disallows threads on suspensions since there's nothing they can do about it.
+
+I found [one wonderfully detailed
+post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Googlevoice/comments/1dr47m4/account_suspended_reclaiming_your_number_and_your/)
+("Account Suspended - Reclaiming your Number and your Dignity; a How-To Guide")
+that has been removed because of the subreddit's rule. But that post, as well as
+[another
+one](https://www.reddit.com/r/google/comments/1filpr1/got_my_suspended_google_voice_number_back_fcc/)
+that is still up, said the posters were able to get their numbers out by [filing
+complaints](https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us) with the
+[FCC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Communications_Commission). So I
+planned to do that, expecting the whole process to take a couple of months.
+
+On October 9, I added a new line to my Verizon plan as a target for the phone
+number. A silver lining is that with the new line, I was able to get a new
+iPhone 15 for almost free after bill credits. I initiated a port in request with
+my Google Voice number. I expected this transfer to fail, since I was unable to
+access my Google Voice account to [unlock the
+number](https://support.google.com/voice/answer/1065667?hl=en). Then I would
+submit the FCC complaint.
+
+But to my pleasant surprise, the port went through in a couple of days! I
+activated service on the new iPhone with my old Google Voice number. I did have
+an issue where I could make calls and send and receive texts, but I couldn't
+receive calls. I called the Verizon port center (1-888-844-7095), and the person
+who helped me did something on their end to truly finish off the port. After
+that, I could receive calls as well. So I never needed to use the FCC's muscle.
+
+On October 23, I received an email from Google Voice saying that my number was
+ported away:
+
+> Hello Danny Guo,
+>
+> This email is to confirm that your Google Voice number (xxx-xxx-xxxx) has been
+> ported away from Google Voice. Calls made to that number will no longer ring
+> your forwarding phones and new voicemails won't appear in your Google Voice
+> inbox.
+>
+>Your Google Voice account has been downgraded accordingly, but your existing
+>voicemails and text messages remain available in your inbox. You can also
+>continue placing calls from Gmail.
+>
+>You can upgrade your account at any time by getting a new Google Voice number.
+>
+>Thanks
+>
+>The Google Voice team
+
+Now when I open Google Voice on my phone, it asks me to pick a new number as if
+I'm starting from scratch. But on web, it still redirects me to the suspension
+page.
+
+## Retrospective
+
+I have conflicted thoughts about what happened. I've used Google services for
+the majority of my life. In college, I remember playing [would you
+rather](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Would_you_rather) at lunch, and a friend
+asked if I'd rather lose access to everything Google or lose a physical sense. I
+really had to think about it.
+
+I've only ever used Android smartphones and smartwatches, despite being
+virtually the only one among my friends and family to not have switched to
+iPhone. Which makes me the person who tends to get grief for ruining group chats
+by turning them into [green
+bubbles](https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-apples-imessage-is-winning-teens-dread-the-green-text-bubble-11641618009).
+
+And I directly pay Google by subscribing to Google One, YouTube Premium, and
+Google Workspace (just for my custom domain email).
+
+One major reason I've stuck with Google for so long is that I value using
+services that are multiplatform. I may have an Android phone and watch, but I
+also have a MacBook and an iPad.
+
+And I still think Google Search can be pretty magical. Despite [its
+decline](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/09/google-search-size-usefulness-decline/675409/)
+and the fact that [LLM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_language_model)s are
+just better for certain searches.
+
+But relying on Google worries me because of all those stories I've read about
+people being banned. Sure, some of those cases might be lacking some details
+that would justify the bans, but I was convinced enough to put a lot of effort
+into migrating away from Gmail several years ago. Consider how important your
+email account is to your digital life and how awful it would be to suddenly lose
+access to your email with no warning.
+
+By now, everything important uses my custom domain email address. I do use
+Google Workspace for it, so i'm technically still using Gmail. But the point is
+that I control the address. If Google bans me one day, all I have to do is
+update my DNS records to switch to something like
+[Fastmail](https://www.fastmail.com/).
+
+The possibility of a Google ban is also one small reason I haven't gotten into
+Android development. I could [accidentally violate their
+terms](https://medium.com/@antaresone/google-just-terminated-my-google-play-developer-account-forever-f62d6362b6ac)
+and get banned from publishing apps in an instant.
+
+And I deliberately do not take any pictures of my infant son nude on the off
+chance it [gets flagged as child sexual abuse
+material](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/21/technology/google-surveillance-toddler-photo.html)
+after being uploaded into Google Photos, and my entire Google account is banned.
+With my recent situation, I consider myself lucky that I was at least only
+banned from Google Voice.
+
+It says something that my biggest issue with Google isn't that their services
+aren't good anymore or that they kill things off all the time. It's that I'm
+afraid they will just ban me with no recourse. It finally happened, and it
+wasn't even for a service that I was worried about.
+
+I work in software and in fintech. I can understand that Google operates at such
+a massive scale that many things have to be automated, and even if there are
+some false positives, that could be a worthy tradeoff to Google to not have to
+put humans into the loop.
+
+I also understand the logic of not telling people what rules they broke because
+you don't want bad actors to get a better understanding of the system because
+that would allow them to fine tune their attacks accordingly.
+
+But I am still frustrated about temporarily losing my phone number. Sure I never
+paid for Google Voice, but Google never gave me an option to pay for it. In this
+case, I would have happily paid $100 just to find out why exactly I was banned.
+What rule or model decided I needed to be banned?
+
+Part of it is curiosity. Was the last picture I sent the issue? Getting logged
+out of my phone earlier in the day suggests it wasn't. But I didn't do anything
+else on Google Voice that day, and I barely sent any texts or made any calls in
+the days before. I'm confident that if a real person looked at my account,
+they'd agree something in the automation went wrong. You may have some
+skepticism. Unfortunately, I can't provide my activity, since I can't see it
+anymore after the app recognized that my number was ported out.
+
+I'm [not the only
+one](https://www.reddit.com/r/Googlevoice/comments/1fcw44j/google_voice_exit_strategy_update/)
+dealing with this kind of a situation. Google can afford to simply not care
+about us.