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    • Showing only topics with the tag "google". Back to normal view

    32. How important is protecting our data from companies like Google?

      ~tech Ask
      I was a supporter of Andrew Yang while he was running for president. His policies appealed to me a lot. One I supported because it made sense to me; personal data as a property right. I’ve thought...

      I was a supporter of Andrew Yang while he was running for president. His policies appealed to me a lot. One I supported because it made sense to me; personal data as a property right. I’ve thought about it more and I don’t see how a company like Google using my data negatively affects me. What are the negative repercussions I experience when a company uses my information like that? Are there alternatives that would protect my data more that are actually decent? I’d love to receive some explanation for this!

      21 votes

    49. Tildes ReExtended is being taken down from the Chrome Web Store for supposedly breaking its policies

      ~tildes Text 1414 words
      To the few people that are using Tildes ReExtended on Chrome (and the rest that needs yet another reason to despise Google), the extension might get taken down from the Chrome Web Store for...

      To the few people that are using Tildes ReExtended on Chrome (and the rest that needs yet another reason to despise Google), the extension might get taken down from the Chrome Web Store for supposedly violating its Spam & Placement policy. But I'll let CWS Support explain it, since I obviously have no idea what I'm talking about, here are the 2 emails I've received and what I responded with.

      CWS Email 1, received 2020-06-08 10:04

      Dear Developer,

      Your recent publish request for Google Chrome item "Tildes ReExtended" with ID: opjikhnnnagajmhcdglgfbaephgpfjcc was rejected because it did not comply with our policies.

      If you already have a published version of this item on the Chrome Web Store, it has not been affected and is still available.

      Your item did not comply with the following section of our Program Policies:

      "Spam and Placement in the Store"

      • Items should work and provide some functionality upon installation.
      • Items should provide the promised functionality that aligns with the description of the item.

      Please review your item and make necessary changes so that it provides the function/service included in the item’s description.

      Once your item complies with Chrome Web Store policies, you may request re-publication in the Chrome Web Store Developer Dashboard. Your item will be reviewed for policy compliance prior to re-publication.

      If you have any questions about this email, please respond and the Chrome Web Store Developer Support team will follow up with you.

      Important Note:

      Repeated or egregious policy violations in the Chrome Web Store may result in your developer account being suspended or could lead to a ban from using the Chrome Web Store platform.

      This may also result in the suspension of related Google services associated with your Google account.

      Sincerely,

      Chrome Web Store Developer Support

      Developer Terms of Service
      Program Policies
      Branding Guidelines

      © 2020 Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043 , USA
      Email Preferences: You have received this mandatory email service announcement to update you about important changes to your Chrome Web Store developer account.

      Response 1, sent 2020-06-08 15:59

      Hi, I'm a bit confused about how the extension violates those policies, since it satisfies both of the included bullet points.

      Upon installation, there is a set of features that are enabled by default. (Which you can verify for yourself here https://gitlab.com/tildes-community/tildes-reextended/-/blob/master/source/ts/utilities.ts#L36-55). Which addresses the first point.

      And for the second point, the description, which is currently:

      Features include:

      • Dedicated "Back To Top" button.
      • Improved "Jump To New Comments" button.
      • Improved "User Labels" functionality; multiple labels per person, custom colors, priority order.
      • New "Hide Votes" feature.
      • New "Markdown Toolbar" feature.
      • More features to come. https://gitlab.com/tildes-community/tildes-reextended/issues

      Is literally a list of what the extension is capable of...

      I'd also just like to mention, the latest update only contains a breaking bug fix and updated dependencies (compared to the previous update). So I'm confused why the previous version was allowed through and this one isn't, since it's practically the same.

      CWS Email 2, received 2020-06-09 14:53

      Dear Developer,

      We routinely review items in the Chrome Web Store for compliance with our Program policies to ensure a safe and trusted experience for our users. Your item "Tildes ReExtended," with ID: opjikhnnnagajmhcdglgfbaephgpfjcc, is being taken down as it currently does not work or provide any functionality upon installation. Items on the Chrome Web Store should work and provide the promised functionality that aligns with the description of the item.

      Please review your item and make necessary changes so that it provides the function/service included in the item’s description.

      Files/images which are calling in manifest file should be included in the package.

      Once your item complies with Chrome Web Store policies, you may request re-publication in your developer dashboard. Your item will be manually reviewed for policy compliance which typically takes a few business days, prior to re-publication.

      If you have any questions about this item’s removal, you may reply to this email and the Chrome Web Store developer support team will follow up with you.

      Important Note Repeated or egregious policy violations in the Chrome Web Store may result in your developer account being suspended. This may also result in the suspension of related Google services associated with your Google account.

      Thank you for your cooperation,

      Google Chrome Web Store team

      Developer Terms of Service: https://developers.google.com/chrome/web-store/terms

      Program Policies: https://developers.google.com/chrome/web-store/program_policies

      Branding Guidelines: https://developers.google.com/chrome/web-store/branding

      Response 2, sent 2020-06-09 15:12

      Hi again, I guess I'm not talking to a human being but some automated system. But in case I am, I'll just reiterate:

      And for the new "Files/images which are calling in manifest file should be included in the package." part, I just double-checked and everything defined in the manifest is indeed included in the package.

      And also...

      Your item "Tildes ReExtended," with ID: opjikhnnnagajmhcdglgfbaephgpfjcc, is being taken down [...]

      Really? You give me absolutely no meaningful information on what I'm supposedly doing wrong and now the entire extension is being taken down? I guess now I know what Pushbullet felt like. (https://blog.pushbullet.com/2020/05/13/lets-guess-what-google-requires-in-14-days-or-they-kill-our-extension/)

      I guess "providing more actionable rejections" isn't in the works, after all? (https://blog.pushbullet.com/2020/05/15/our-extension-is-safe/)

      Would love to get an actual response... Thanks.

      CWS Email 3, received 2020-06-10 13:41

      Dear Developer,

      We routinely review items in the Chrome Web Store for compliance with our Program policies to ensure a safe and trusted experience for our users. Your item "Tildes ReExtended," with ID: opjikhnnnagajmhcdglgfbaephgpfjcc, is being taken down as it currently does not work or provide any functionality upon installation.

      Items on the Chrome Web Store should work and provide the promised functionality that aligns with the description of the item.

      Ensure that your filename/directory names in the package are not started with underscore (_) as it is not able to load the extension.

      Please review your item and make necessary changes so that it provides the function/service included in the item’s description. Once your item complies with Chrome Web Store policies, you may request re-publication in your developer dashboard. Your item will be manually reviewed for policy compliance which typically takes a few business days, prior to re-publication.

      If you have any questions about this item’s removal, you may reply to this email and the Chrome Web Store developer support team will follow up with you.

      Important Note Repeated or egregious policy violations in the Chrome Web Store may result in your developer account being suspended. This may also result in the suspension of related Google services associated with your Google account.

      Thank you for your cooperation,

      Google Chrome Web Store team

      Developer Terms of Service: https://developers.google.com/chrome/web-store/terms

      Program Policies: https://developers.google.com/chrome/web-store/program_policies

      Branding Guidelines: https://developers.google.com/chrome/web-store/branding

      Now before anyone mentions it, yes I could have worded my response more delicately and in better faith, but I didn't because I can't be bothered spending the time and mental energy on arguing to stay on a platform I don't use nor care much about. If the extension does get removed, I'm sorry if you're one of the 6 users that will get fucked over because of this. My recommendation would be to use Firefox instead, as the newest version there was approved in less than 5 minutes after I submitted it.

      Edit 1: Added the 3rd email I've received. See my comment here for thoughts.

      Edit 2: Everything seems to be sorted now after I fixed a problem, I don't know.

      48 votes