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Ask HN: Google Safebrowsing has no way to appeal?
18 points by Simplestas on May 14, 2024 | hide | past | favorite | 11 comments
My Windows software has been around for 12+ years.

Then one day Google came and deemed software as malware or unwanted software and marked binaries and websites as dangerous.

This does not make sense because it's 100% clean on VirusTotal and has consistently good standing and ratings.

There seems no way to appeal the ban. Security review in Google Console does not get read by human, it just schedules automated website rescan - doesn't even say which non-hosted links are 'malicious' as a result. Feedback does not get read in a week too.

Eh, so I talked to Google One support and some Google contacts I managed to find. They say there seems no internal appeal form or contact email for team which can actually fix this? Automated ban may have been issued due to cracked software distributed elsewhere which may connect to original domain?

I'm totally stumbled. What can one even do with a clusterfuck like this?



Google doesn't have any actual support. I had an issue with my Google account where I was flagged as a minor by Google's automated systems, even tough my age was verified with an ID. I spent months trying to get in touch with someone who could do anything. Everyone just kept sending me completely irrelevant copy-pasted troubleshooting instructions. I also had similar issues with other Google products, that could only be resolved on their end, and there was nothing I could do. Google just doesn't care.

And it's not just Google, Microsoft is currently blocking downloads from one of my websites in Edge. I tried appealing multiple times, and nothing.

We need laws that require companies to provide actual, meaningful support.


Websites are https://www.startallback.com/ and https://www.startisback.com

Banned download for example is https://www.startallback.com/download.php which you can check is 100% legit (as of 05/14 at least) https://www.virustotal.com/gui/file/5040bb8ed046c5f9e3880458...

There are no 'unwanted software' criteria applicable too, and if there were, nobody told me anyway


Safe browsing shows totally clean for both of those... I don't get any warnings when visiting or downloading either.

https://transparencyreport.google.com/safe-browsing/search


HN effect... they dropped the ban, though I didn't get any communication


Great to hear. Sadly this is how they swing. A lot of folks behave this way when bad motivators are behind such things.


Wonderful software, thank you for your work. It seems that since you bypass their controlled Start menu and thus ad revenue and other things that you have become a target. So sorry about this insanity.


> What can one even do with a clusterfuck like this?

Distribute it on another domain if it's because of "Automated ban may have been issued due to cracked software distributed elsewhere which may connect to original domain?"?


This is the software the OP talks about: https://www.startallback.com/. If you go and check the download URL, the files are actually hosted on the CDN, and not on the site itself.

So it looks like as long as the site refers to the file is any way -- it is still flagged. I think there was a recommendation to compartmentalize at some point, but maybe it doesn't help now.


Sueing?


Any precedents? I guess hiring US legals and writing lengthy letters is a way to go, but not the fastest one


Probably not. They bleed you dry and ToS are likely on their side anyways.




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