> The former manager also believes there is an urgent need for alternative offers for digital payments "that are accepted and give citizens a more secure feeling".
Honest question: have there been actual European citizens who have security concerns about digital payments or is this just politicians yapping about sovereignty? It feels as if it deflects from the real reason but I am willing to plead ignorance here.
mlry•8mo ago
Every once in a while I think about using PayPal ... then I do some research and am utterly astonished why people would agree to such T&C. I would never use Google or Apple for payments. So I am desperately looking for a viable alternative. I used giropay until they cancelled service to the end of 2024 and I have to wait for Wero or an alternative.
Yes, I do have serious concerns and I do absolutely not trust any American services. Especially not in these times. And I have less security concerns but rather privacy and data protection concerns in this matter.
But I do have no illusions. European politicians see digital services as means to surveillance and control. Citizen's concerns, rights or best interests are certainly not on their agenda. This was clearly demonstrated recently when the EU commission refused to publish the names of the stakeholders and institutions working towards even more surveillance and permissions for governmental organizations.
Doxin•8mo ago
> Honest question: have there been actual European citizens who have security concerns about digital payments
God yes. Constantly. Interacting with U.S. companies is almost without exception awful. Paypal will steal your money for the slightest infraction of their puritanical senses. Uber eats will sometimes just not deliver and not even have a phone number you can call to complain. Trying to pay online with a credit card will constantly lead to your credit card details getting into criminal hands.
I'm not saying EU companies are all amazing, but at least with those you can generally expect them to not be mustache-twirling levels of terrible to their customers and if they are you've got the law on your side.
I try to steer clear of dealing with U.S. companies directly whenever possible, and the fact that for basically any international transaction I have to worries me a lot. If trump gets another one of his fits he can cripple EU payments on a whim. That's not a good thing.
hbartab•8mo ago
Honest question: have there been actual European citizens who have security concerns about digital payments or is this just politicians yapping about sovereignty? It feels as if it deflects from the real reason but I am willing to plead ignorance here.
mlry•8mo ago
Doxin•8mo ago
God yes. Constantly. Interacting with U.S. companies is almost without exception awful. Paypal will steal your money for the slightest infraction of their puritanical senses. Uber eats will sometimes just not deliver and not even have a phone number you can call to complain. Trying to pay online with a credit card will constantly lead to your credit card details getting into criminal hands.
I'm not saying EU companies are all amazing, but at least with those you can generally expect them to not be mustache-twirling levels of terrible to their customers and if they are you've got the law on your side.
I try to steer clear of dealing with U.S. companies directly whenever possible, and the fact that for basically any international transaction I have to worries me a lot. If trump gets another one of his fits he can cripple EU payments on a whim. That's not a good thing.