> "I'm wondering what type of system all the naysayers would have in place that would properly balance the requirements of google, the law, the community, and the individual users - and how they would scale that to ten million+ users."
This exists - it's called paying for something you use every single day, and is a core part of your existence (both online and off).
Why more people aren't self-hosting or purchasing email hosting services (and yes, that includes SLAs and proper customer support) is beyond me.
This will make more sense when services you pay for are free from this kind of stuff. As it is, well, people pay for cars now and look at all the outright ripoff crap people go through from mechanics who charge exorbitant amounts to do simple repairs, all the while leaving the car in the shop.
This exists - it's called paying for something you use every single day, and is a core part of your existence (both online and off).
Why more people aren't self-hosting or purchasing email hosting services (and yes, that includes SLAs and proper customer support) is beyond me.