[FOSDEM] Disenfranchised by Google

[J. R. Haigh]

At 2021-01-11Mon22:59:51+00, J. R. Haigh sent:
> […] I just want them to stop encroaching on my life in ways that I cannot get away from.

For the record, this oneway email from Google is what I still get almost each day that I try to access my Gmail account (account details redacted):

At 2021-01-10Sun00:56:02GMT, Google <no-reply at accounts.google.com> sent:
> Your account <recovery email address> is listed as the recovery email for <Gmail address>. Don't recognise this account? Click here
> <https://accounts.google.com /AccountDisavow?adt=REDACTED>
> [image: Google]
> Sign-in attempt was blocked for your linked Google Account
> 
> <Gmail address>
> Someone just used your password to try to sign in to your account from a non-Google app. Google blocked them, but you should check what happened.
> Review your account activity to make sure that no one else has access.
> Check activity
> <https://accounts.google.com /AccountChooser?Email=<Gmail address>&continue=https://myaccount.google.com/alert/nt/REDACTED>
> You can also see security activity
> https://myaccount.google.com/notifications
> You received this email to let you know about important changes to your Google Account and services.
> © 2020 Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA

This started happening early 2020 (circa March) when they decided that “non-Google” applications should be blocked by default. That in itself is bad enough for software freedom, but at the same time (as far as I'm aware) the account activity settings were removed on the Free Software browsers that I use, which either prevents me from reviewing my account activity or forces me to use software which I do not wish to use.
	I suppose that the next step is to write to their USA postal address about it. I've had to start using postal mail a lot more during the lockdowns, so it's about time that I learn what stamps I need in order to send international mail.
	If I get nowhere with that then I'll consider sponsoring a future FOSDEM myself to raise awareness of issues that I've been unable to resolve by then, and in doing so, helping to support FOSDEM too. I really like FOSDEM. I mean you all no harm.

Best regards,
James.
-- 
Wealth doesn't bring happiness, but poverty brings sadness.
https://wiki.FSFE.org/Fellows/JRHaigh
Sent from Debian with Claws Mail, using email subaddressing as an alternative to error-prone heuristical spam filtering.
(
> […]
> Sent from NixOS with Claws Mail, using email subaddressing as an alternative to error-prone heuristical spam filtering.

P.s.: I've not actually used NixOS for a few years; this mistake was due to an old preset that I was unable to fix while I still had a compose window open, and forgot to correct manually that time.)