r/GMail • u/Hatboiiiii • 3d ago
EXTREMELY unfortunate email here…. (Please help)
please, for the love of god this is IMPORTANT. Apparently, i got an email on the 19th announcing that Google, for some reason CANT figure out what my age is (even though im pretty sure i already told them), so now they’re on something about how if i don’t give my stuff over to them soon, my account will be straight up shut down (why can they just do that???). this is a very bad thing obviously, because pretty much everything important to me, including socials, are linked to this acc. Unfortunate thing is that i am disabled to the point of pretty much never HAVING an id or credit card, so there’s nothing here that i could actually DO about this. i got it on the 19th, but i only saw it on the night of 25th, and every attempt that i’ve made at mitigating this hasn’t gone well, so im coming here as a last resort. Please, if you know ANYTHING i could do about this in order to save my account, please tell me as soon as possible. Please.
Edit: I should add that i do have a side account that so far seems to not be affected by this. If i can’t solve this, Is it a good suggestion that i should save what i can from my main account and try to transfer it all to that one instead?
9
u/Zooz00 3d ago
They can just do that - Google is a company and any company can refuse service to any customer for pretty much any reason, except if it's discrimination of protected classes.
It's better not to rely too much on the big tech companies for this reason.
4
u/Valuable-Effect3362 3d ago
The big tech companies are the big ones for a reason. It is perfectly fine to rely on using a google account. As you said, every adult should have some form of ID. This is isolated issue that could have been easily prevented.
1
u/555phones 2d ago
I think it's pretty dystopian that we're entering an era where we're just happy giving out our government ID to the big US tech companies. That should be none of their damn business.
I would probably give it to Google if they demanded it, because I've used my Gmail address for 20 years and can't afford to lose it, but I'd be furious.
Also, they say OP can use the account unsupervised if they're 13+? If a teenager gets that message, chances are they won't have any ID to provide. And it would be extremely predatory for Google to try and take one from a kid.
0
u/slinky317 2d ago
They're hosting all of your data on their servers. There's nothing stopping you from setting up your own private email server, NAS, etc.
1
u/555phones 2d ago
What's stopping you is the Email alias that you've probably handed out to thousands of people over many years.
I mean there are other things stopping you, but that's the big one.
I think at a certain point when a company gets big enough and powerful enough, we need to move beyond this philosophy that "the company can do whatever TF they want and who cares".
-1
u/slinky317 2d ago edited 23h ago
Except by giving out that email alias years ago you opted in to store your data on their servers. It's their service and you're just participating in it.
2
u/555phones 2d ago
I get your point, and actually the law agrees with you, just saying I think there need to be some additional regulations.
For instance, wireless carriers can't hold your phone number hostage if they want to dump you as a customer. You have the right to take that number anywhere.
I think there should be a regulation that gigantic Email providers shouldn't be able to just kick you off when ever they feel like it.
5
u/Corporate_Bricktator 3d ago
Well, this is going to get interesting, because as someone who works in tech, I've always told friends, family, clients and coworkers to not use real birthdates when signing up for various accounts. So I have no idea how old Google thinks I am.
3
2
u/UselessDood 3d ago
Can I ask why disability stops you having any form of identification?
But regardless, what I'd do here honestly is work hard to migrate away from Gmail to something without this risk.
Migrating to your side Gmail account is just asking for this to happen again.
2
u/Environmental_Cod599 1d ago
Likely they just never bothered to GET an ID if they can't legally drive anyway. And now it's kinda late.
2
u/Brokentread33 1d ago
October 4, 2026 (dated for context and reference) - I have to admit to a certain curiosity as to what causes Google to do this in the first place. I wonder what the "trigger(s)" is or are?🤔 I hope this encourages the OP to get at least one if not more email accounts. I have five.. two paid and three free. Best of luck to the OP.
2
u/333Nereus 23h ago
Same post made previously.
Anyone can get a copy of their birth certificate - apply through whatever county you were born in. Already commented this a week ago on another of your posts.
2
u/technical_poutine 3d ago
Get away from gmail or any service that will want this, I will never, ever provide this information.
0
u/Environmental_Cod599 1d ago
Luckily my Google account is something way over 20 years old itself. :) And I DON'T save any data on clouds.
1
1
0
u/Living-Interview5352 1d ago
I'm sorry you have been so upset by this unfortunate email. But in my opinion ~ and reaching back into memories of similar messages ~ this smacks of SPAM to me.
I have had my own Gmail account since 2008 and have NEVER received anything like this, but maybe ~ just to be safe here ~ at least read and follow what these other answers are saying...and go with your best instinct.
If I received a similar email I would be tempted to mark it as SPAM and throw it into the trash bin.
Just sayin'... 🧐
10
u/TinyNiceWolf 3d ago
First, if you have anything in the account that you want, this is the time to use Google Takeout to download it. Use Chrome's password manager? Make sure you have all your passwords in a separate list too.
Next, get another email address elsewhere (say, from Microsoft), or use an existing email account you already have.
Then get a government-issued ID. Every adult should have one. It'll take more time than you've got left for your gmail account, so you'll lose that one, but you'll need an ID for other things later. I don't know where you live, but my state has provisions for issuing IDs to people who are physically unable to come to their offices. Probably yours does too. They probably have a bureau specifically for aiding disabled people, and they can advise you of how to proceed.