[zero-sharp]

>If losing access to any one account is a big deal for you, that's more than a major technological literacy failure - it's a basic life planning failure. Do not overly rely on a single thing controlled by people you cannot trust. Even my grandmother would know better.

uhhuh. While it's a good idea to have backup plans and to exercise independence, people usually aren't accustomed to losing substantial parts of their livelihood for no reason and having no recourse. There's no reason to form a backup plan for a scenario that shouldn't occur. We depend on services all the time whose providers we can't control. That's modern life. What would a backup plan look like here for the average person? Do you think your average tech savvy person has taken those steps?

The intention with this post isn't to defend unpreparedness. But there is a point to be made that cutting somebody off, through some technical loophole, shouldn't be a thing. And companies know that. Every so often they get called out in public by somebody with a lot of traction and they correct the problem. So it's only a problem if it gains enough visibility. That's the system.

[chmod775]

Backup plan? You are missing the point. If you need a backup you already messed up. The only entities that should need backups of anything but treasured photos are businesses.

If you don't bank on the assumption that you will always have access to some random mail account and instead treat it like a discardable glove, you don't need a backup plan.

Lost access to your mail account and forgot your PW to to some random other account? Whatever. Make a new account, tell your friends. Happens all the time.