My wife has had the same thing happen to her today. Her Google+, and by extension, her YouTube account through which she promotes her work (she's a musician) were suspended, apparently without any notification.
There's an appeals process, and she's linked to her website and Facebook profile and submitted a photocopy of her passport to prove her name. Does anybody here know how long this is likely to take, or the chances of it being successful?
In my experience, Chinese wifi operates the same as in most other countries. Either no password, or the password is written on the menu or freely offered when asked for.
Chinese censorship is another issue, of course. But there's no need to post blatant lies about stuff you seemingly have no experience about.
How long ago was your experience? IIRC, they've been cracking down on this in more recent times. I guess it's possible that these crack-downs are temporary or regional though.
It was before, when Google had a very strict "real name" policy they were actively and aggressively policing. The actual name review process probably hasn't changed much since then though.
Lol first they force the damn thing on you and now they start randomly canceling account to force you to identify yourself.
That's not going to happen. The day they cancel my account is the day they can say goodby to all that lovely data they have on me since I'm not making another one.
Did they request a photocopy of her passport? That's a crazy request if they did. I sure wouldn't send it to them if it were me, but I could see how if your business was being affected it would be something to consider.
Erm.. Do you think you might have missed the point that is crazy? Not 'the passport' (as in, 'why the passport and not something else?').
Asking for any legal 'proof of identity' is totally batshit crazy, period. I'm reasonably sure the GP wanted to express this in a nicer fashion than I do, while you discussed which documents are best to hand over..
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My wife has had the same thing happen to her today. Her Google+, and by extension, her YouTube account through which she promotes her work (she's a musician) were suspended, apparently without any notification.
There's an appeals process, and she's linked to her website and Facebook profile and submitted a photocopy of her passport to prove her name. Does anybody here know how long this is likely to take, or the chances of it being successful?
edit: s/password/passport/
Ah, just like China where you need to hand over identification before using the internet at a cafe. You know, so you can be a "good citizen".
In my experience, Chinese wifi operates the same as in most other countries. Either no password, or the password is written on the menu or freely offered when asked for.
Chinese censorship is another issue, of course. But there's no need to post blatant lies about stuff you seemingly have no experience about.
How long ago was your experience? IIRC, they've been cracking down on this in more recent times. I guess it's possible that these crack-downs are temporary or regional though.
Two weeks ago. The situation seemed the same in a couple of cities. There were no restrictions at any shop or cafe that I came across.
WIFI access at Beijing airport did require a passport, though.
I mean cafes where you rent computers, not open WiFi.
I suppose you mean passport?
Does your wife share her name with a celebrity?
I posted this comment in another thread, it might be of value to you:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6732852
It was before, when Google had a very strict "real name" policy they were actively and aggressively policing. The actual name review process probably hasn't changed much since then though.
Lol first they force the damn thing on you and now they start randomly canceling account to force you to identify yourself.
That's not going to happen. The day they cancel my account is the day they can say goodby to all that lovely data they have on me since I'm not making another one.
Did they request a photocopy of her passport? That's a crazy request if they did. I sure wouldn't send it to them if it were me, but I could see how if your business was being affected it would be something to consider.
It's less crazy than you might think. A US passport is a form of legal, government-issued photo ID. It's a proof of identity.
You might expect a driver's license, but keep in mind that some people may prefer to provide:
- state ID card - state-issued driver's license - US passport
Only one of those is proof that you're allowed to _drive_, but I'm pretty sure you can use any of those to prove identity.
Erm.. Do you think you might have missed the point that is crazy? Not 'the passport' (as in, 'why the passport and not something else?').
Asking for any legal 'proof of identity' is totally batshit crazy, period. I'm reasonably sure the GP wanted to express this in a nicer fashion than I do, while you discussed which documents are best to hand over..
I assume you meant she submitted a photocopy of her passport, not her password?