u/Pretty_Couple5904

Hi everyone,

​I am an independent mobile app developer currently based in Turkey. I have established my legal residence here, obtained a local Tax Identification Number (TIN), and am in the process of opening a commercial bank account to ensure full legal and financial compliance.

​However, I’ve hit a major roadblock while trying to complete my US tax info (W-8BEN form) in the Google Play Console. In the citizenship dropdown menu, my country of citizenship (Syria) is completely missing.

​I contacted Google Payments Merchant support, explaining that certain sanctions were updated/lifted recently, but they replied with a standard compliance response. They basically stated:

​"Currently, because of these ongoing compliance protocols, Syrian citizenship remains restricted or unavailable in the dropdown menu for tax identity verification in Google Play Console, regardless of your physical and legal residency in Turkey. Additionally, Syria is not yet supported for Merchant and Developer registration."

​They suggested consulting a tax professional or considering a alternative business structure (like a local Turkish corporate entity) to bypass the individual citizenship blocker.

​My concern: If I cannot submit this form, I face a mandatory 30% tax withholding on US earnings, or worse, having my payouts completely suspended.

​Has anyone else dealt with a missing citizenship option on the W-8BEN form while living legally in another country?

​Did opening a local company (LLC / Limited Şirket) in your country of residence solve the issue by letting you file as a business entity instead of an individual?

​Are there any other workarounds within the Play Console that don't violate Google's Terms of Service?

​Any advice or shared experiences would be highly appreciated. Thank you!

​I am a 24-year-old male, and I have been struggling with a severe pornography addiction since I was 12. It started with small, phone-sized videos, but over the years, it has spiraled into an obsession that has completely consumed my life.

​My struggle has been a progressive nightmare:

​It started with a 500GB archive in high school. I felt sick, deleted it all, and swore to quit.

​I relapsed, and it grew to 1TB during college. I deleted it again, questioning my sanity.

​It happened again, reaching 2TB. I deleted it once more, but the cycle continued.

​Now, I am at a point where I have 9TB of data. I’ve written my own custom software to automate and speed up the downloading process because I feel this desperate need to "collect" everything before it's taken down. In total, I estimate I’ve downloaded closer to 25TB over the years.

​The cycle of quitting and relapsing is the most painful part. I have deleted my entire collection multiple times, only to feel a void and an overwhelming urge to rebuild it—as if it were a security blanket. My greatest fear right now is that if I delete these 9TB, I will fail again, and I’ll end up with an even larger, 25TB archive. This "fear of failure" is paralyzing me.

​It’s not even about watching anymore; it’s about the hunt, the curation, and the download. My life is falling apart:

​Cognitive decline: I’m experiencing memory loss and cannot focus on my work. As a developer, I am struggling to write even basic code.

​Social anxiety: I’ve lost the ability to speak to women or hold a normal conversation.

​Physical health: My hair is thinning, I’m severely underweight, and I’ve abandoned any semblance of a healthy diet.

​I want to break this cycle for good. I want to be able to focus, talk to people, and live a normal life again. Has anyone else been this deep into a collection addiction? How do I deal with the fear of "wasting my effort" by deleting the files? Any practical advice on breaking this specific obsession with archiving would be a lifesaver.

​I am a 24-year-old male, and I have been struggling with a severe pornography addiction since I was 12. It started with small, phone-sized videos, but over the years, it has spiraled into an obsession that has completely consumed my life.

​My struggle has been a progressive nightmare:

​It started with a 500GB archive in high school. I felt sick, deleted it all, and swore to quit.

​I relapsed, and it grew to 1TB during college. I deleted it again, questioning my sanity.

​It happened again, reaching 2TB. I deleted it once more, but the cycle continued.

​Now, I am at a point where I have 9TB of data. I’ve written my own custom software to automate and speed up the downloading process because I feel this desperate need to "collect" everything before it's taken down. In total, I estimate I’ve downloaded closer to 25TB over the years.

​The cycle of quitting and relapsing is the most painful part. I have deleted my entire collection multiple times, only to feel a void and an overwhelming urge to rebuild it—as if it were a security blanket. My greatest fear right now is that if I delete these 9TB, I will fail again, and I’ll end up with an even larger, 25TB archive. This "fear of failure" is paralyzing me.

​It’s not even about watching anymore; it’s about the hunt, the curation, and the download. My life is falling apart:

​Cognitive decline: I’m experiencing memory loss and cannot focus on my work. As a developer, I am struggling to write even basic code.

​Social anxiety: I’ve lost the ability to speak to women or hold a normal conversation.

​Physical health: My hair is thinning, I’m severely underweight, and I’ve abandoned any semblance of a healthy diet.

​I want to break this cycle for good. I want to be able to focus, talk to people, and live a normal life again. Has anyone else been this deep into a collection addiction? How do I deal with the fear of "wasting my effort" by deleting the files? Any practical advice on breaking this specific obsession with archiving would be a lifesaver.