If Google wants to be internet authentication infrastructure, it needs accountability

I think we should, and I plan to, write to our/my legislators about companies like Google that promote “Sign in with Google”.

If Google wants to ban you from Gmail for some undisclosed algorithm based perceived TOS violation, fine. But if disabling your Google account also locks you out of unrelated services that use Google authentication, there should be accountability. This day and age, accessing from multiple IPs, for example, is not a valid reason for any action.

At minimum, they should have to tell you what activity supposedly violated the TOS, give you a real opportunity to respond, and provide actual support instead of an unexplained algorithmic ban.

If a company wants to become part of the internet’s authentication infrastructure, it should also have responsibility for the damage caused when it wrongly cuts someone off from that infrastructure.

There should be legislation requiring third-party authentication access to remain available, or some protected recovery mechanism, even if the provider suspends its own services.