1/4
So, I've had an account with #Wise (formerly #transferwise) for a few years.
Saved me lots of money, especially while living in the UK where banks take unbelievable cuts from interntional bank transfers, but also since I left that island.
Initially, they seemed cool enough people, but the ampunt of data they demand "for security" has been increasing a lot, and now I find myself
in a really unpleasant situation:
Install their app or lose access to my money.
...is that even legal?
2/4
Last time I logged in, I got a splash screen saying I had two login attempts left until I needed the app, no more information than that.
A quick search finds this:
https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/reports/com.transferwise.android/latest/
Lots of trackers, including Facebook and this one:
https://reports.exodus-privacy.eu.org/en/trackers/118/
(whose privacy policy does not apply to me...)
#Wise support first tells me I did not need the app, then corrects themselves and says it's all for security, ignoring any privacy concerns.
...is that even legal under #GDPR?
3/4
I'm now faced with either complying or moving a large part of my savings elsewhere, with no more than two log-ins. (let's hope the transfer limit does not prevent this!)
...or figuring out if/how I can file a complaint or take legal action to force them to owe up to the fact that they don't provide a way for meaningful consent, and not even an opt-out, let alone opt-in to data collection and processing by 3rd parties.
Any helpful advice is welcome!
4/4
The fourth option would be to install their stupid app in a jail of some sort in hopes of foiling the trackers, but I can't be sure that works, and the point is that I can't trust them not to spring even more of this on me.
For a while, logging in from a private Firefox tab required solving a captcha, which says something about their "security" model, and they blocked access for over a month because their system did not accept my passport picture that they spontaneously required.
Mr. Teatime