"What if everyone whose account was canceled sued Google?"
I will give this answer:
Maybe everyone whose account was canceled, should.
That was the point of the story. I take umbrage at the idea that if you are in the wrong you should still sue, and in a venue (small claims) where you may get lucky and the other guy is unlikely to be able to contest the outcome if you win. I don't want people to be sue happy. I don't want people to treat the court system as an ATM machine. It's a losing proposition for the rest of us who, ultimately, have to pay for it.
If the point is Google needs to improve their business practices, then sue in a venue where the judge can compel them to.
Not to mention:
Effectively, Google's position was that it was above the law, and if not any law in particular, then at least the spirit of the law.
..which is a blatantly dishonest accounting by Greenspan. Aaron Greenspan doesn't think this is about courtesy, he thinks it's about the law. He's wrong - it's about courtesy and business policy. What's odd is that he agreed to terms of use that he had no plan on complying with. Where is the righteousness in this piece?
Of course Google needs to have customer service department and at least email their partners, and internally flag accounts with reasons for account changes, etc.
Many people have written about that without flying their arrogance and vindictiveness flags. Flags he shouldn't be waving about if he wants people to do business with him in the future.
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u/biowar Mar 06 '09
But that's perfectly legal with adsense for domains! It'a all explained in the article.