Hi @LizzyFitbit, I started a new post and tagged you instead of replying to a similar but older thread that you engaged with.
Last week we learned that ~25% of enrollees (in an IRB-approved pediatric research study) had their study-created Google accounts suspended. The research team successfully appealed to reinstate some accounts, however the bulk of the appeals were denied and the accounts remain suspended.
The stated reason for the denials: "Our review found that your account was created or used with multiple other accounts to violate Google's policies. It appears the account might have been created by a computer program or bot." Parsing that response:
- "your account was created or used with multiple other accounts". Of course they were created with multiple other accounts. We're a large academic medical center that conducts clinical trials, often with study populations that may lack the means, ability or cognition to create their own accounts.
- "It appears the account might have been created by a computer program". Of course they were created on a computer . . . by a researcher (human) who creates them -- using the participant's phone number -- earlier on the day-of the in-person appointment because no more juice (time) can be squeezed out of the clinical workflow to also walk-thru the process of creating a Google account.
I'm not expecting, nor do I think it's fair to ask, that you respond to the points above. But given the points above, these are our asks at the moment:
- How do we escalate the appeal denials? If this is all algorithmic, how do we parameterize and resubmit the above points into something the algorithm will recognize and be nice about?
- What explains the inconsistency -- some appeals granted, others denied -- when the circumstances / workflow that led to account disablement are the same?
- What steps can we take to minimize the risk of account disablement knowing that study-created Google accounts are unavoidable for some patient populations?
Thank you!
Best Answer
Fitbit Developers oversee the SDK and API forums. We're here to answer questions about Fitbit developer tools, assist with projects, and make sure your voice is heard by the development team.
