Why the FNB app needs your location data for payments

[Jamie McKane]

Why the FNB app needs your location data for payments

FNB says it now requires access to user locations for certain payments made via its mobile banking app.

This comes after a customer had notified MyBroadband that he was recently requested to grant access to his location at a certain point in a transaction on the app.

 

[Azbubu]

It was Bwana, wasn’t it?

 

[phly]

This has been happening frequently off late - the request for location - to a point that it gets annoying/irritating. One would go through the whole process of doing a once off payment only to find that you need to enable location to complete the payment. Will see if giving it location access only when the app is in use will make a difference.

 

[RVQ]

Depends on what they use to data for, who has access and for how long the keep it.

Hopefully not going to pull an MTN or Vodacom and quietly sell location data to anyone that would pay including criminals or how long before we read of some FNB employee being arrested for stalking.

 

[saor]

Responding to a query from MyBroadband, FNB Head of Digital Banking Giuseppe Virgillito said the location requirement was implemented as an additional security layer when performing certain transactions.

That's it? I was expecting a bit more detail on how they were using the location data. Article doesn't actually say anything interesting about the matter.

 

[neoprema]

Hard Pass.

 

[longboy]

Pass here too. I uninstalled the FNB App a few days ago.

I open up my web browser to use online banking now.

 

[tjma2001]

FNB do this because they have no understanding of security. This is what happens when you have many different contractors building different systems.

 

[neoprema]

Pass here too. I uninstalled the FNB App a few days ago.

I open up my web browser to use online banking now.

Just remember not to use a password manager, FNB want you to use a secure password like "November@2020" that you can re-type, because highly encrypted enclave with your 46-character FNB password protected by a long-password and/or biometrics is far less secure than that.

 

[saor]

Pass here too. I uninstalled the FNB App a few days ago.

I open up my web browser to use online banking now.

So you no longer approve certain transactions via the app?

 

[saor]

FNB do this because they have no understanding of security. This is what happens when you have many different contractors building different systems.

How does using location data = a lack of security understanding?

 

[saor]

Hard Pass.

If the location data is genuinely helping prevent fraud etc, why does it bother you so much that FNB is using it?

 

[itareanlnotani]

FNB is definitely downgrading security.

Two factor authentication via email is now deprecated as of this month, and needs to be done via SMS.
I'm unhappy about that.

Email I can control. I own the mail servers, and have complete faith in my security.
SMS is inherently insecure.

 

[Nqindi]

Samsung Pay FTW.

 

[Azg]

It was Bwana, wasn’t it?

He should make a poll about it!

 

[acidrain]

Just remember not to use a password manager, FNB want you to use a secure password like "November@2020" that you can re-type, because highly encrypted enclave with your 46-character FNB password protected by a long-password and/or biometrics is far less secure than that.

Not true. I use a password manager still. They had implemented the block a while back but shortly after re-instated it.

OT, if this bothers people then dear god don't use navigation apps.

 

[nicroets]

That's it? I was expecting a bit more detail on how they were using the location data. Article doesn't actually say anything interesting about the matter.

I suspect they want to detect cases where people are kidnapped and forced to make payments to criminals.

That said, I'm not a fan of security practises of our banks: 20 ago, I spotted a major defect in Absa internet banking and had to take them to Carte Blanche before they fixed it.

 

[neoprema]

Not true. I use a password manager still. They had implemented the block a while back but shortly after re-instated it.

OT, if this bothers people then dear god don't use navigation apps.

I just tried to login to fnb.co.za from my phone now with my password manager and it said I have to type the password?
I’m busy moving away from FNB anyway, a lot of their decisions and changes lately just irritate.
And that stuff up with lounge access forcing you to use ebucks travel is just pointless.
Nedbank and American Express here I come

 

[system32]

FNB do this because they have no understanding of security. This is what happens when you have many different contractors building different systems.

App is built in house by staff and not contractors.


This is one of the reasons for requiring access to GPS.
App finds people near you that you can pay without going thru all the setup of beneficiary.

 

[saor]

App is built in house by staff and not contractors.

View attachment 948846
This is one of the reasons for requiring access to GPS.
App finds people near you that you can pay without going thru all the setup of beneficiary.

That seems like a tedious solution for something that can be solved with scanning a QR code of the recipient? Who here has ever used that feature? Seems like some super niche bollocks...I can't imagine a situation where I need a list of GPS-local people to easily pay.