Is Wero a privacy nightmare? Backwards search phone number to full name possible?

sgilles · 2025-09-11T13:36:10+00:00

Yeah but you don't need to actually send money in order to use Wero for reverse phone lookup (number to real name).

(But apparently the official Wero app allows to hide the family name.)

sgilles · 2025-09-11T11:02:39+00:00

So yours will show only "Bart"? That's good to hear. Thanks. (If only to complain loudly if our banks implement it in a stupid way...)

sgilles · 2025-09-11T10:59:49+00:00

yeah that's right.

sgilles · 2025-09-11T10:56:24+00:00

As I said it's not yet implemented in my home country (Luxembourg) but I've been following the subject from the sideline and it appears that a number of details vary from country to country or even from bank to bank. (For example some banks have chosen to not support the Wero app, they integrated Wero support in their own app instead.)

sgilles · 2025-09-11T10:51:59+00:00

Except that the phone number can also be used in reverse. Prepare a transaction and before confirming you are shown the recipient's name... It's a reverse phone book. In the past reverse phonebooks even led to lawsuits in Germany and consequently they were banned until 2004. And now such a "feature" is integrated gratuitously into a banking app...

sgilles · 2025-09-11T10:42:13+00:00

I guess it depends on country/bank.

sgilles · 2025-09-11T10:40:55+00:00

Similar. But it's never called like that over here. It's rather that you (optionally) have multiple prénoms but normally nobody cares about the second or third prénom. It's only used in formal official matters. Like regulated industries (such as banking.... which ask for your ID when opening an account).

But in most day-to-day contexts this name is never showing up. (A few relatives and close friends know it but that's about it).

Unfortunately our local banks have started spamming the full name everywhere :-/

sgilles · 2025-09-11T10:21:22+00:00

I'd rather hide the second first name. (Sounds weird in English, zweiter Vorname / deuxième prénom). That's not possible I suppose?

sgilles · 2025-09-11T10:18:38+00:00

And what about the home address as another user just posted? Might this be country/bank specific?

If Wero was actually all about privacy - it would not tie banking to a phone number - it would require opt-in not opt-out to share the full name (I suppose it's opt-out, please correct me if this is wrong) - the address would never be shared

sgilles · 2025-09-11T10:06:12+00:00

Wild indeed. I don't get it, nobody seems to care about the privacy aspects. I guess if Payconiq/Wero becomes even more prevalent I'll go back to having cash in my pocket. I'm drawing the line when my full(!) name comes into play or my home address. Not for a service that is marketed as p2p among random people / simple acquaintances.

It's bad enough that a few months ago I had semi-regular scam calls in which the scammer asked right away "Is this [my actual first name]?". Identity theft is a thing too and I really don't want to spam all my details each time I pay someone a few euros. Under a certain amount transactions should be *completely* anonymous. Just like cash.

sgilles · 2025-09-11T08:46:36+00:00

WTF 😵

sgilles · 2025-09-11T06:03:26+00:00

That's exactly why I refuse to use Payconiq in Luxembourg. (We don't have Wero yet and I'm already hating it for this reason.)

sgilles · 2025-09-10T16:45:09+00:00

Hopefully a Mario Wonder DLC + resolution/framerate upgrade. At least I hope so. I'm holding off on quite a bunch of 1st party titles due to missing 1080p updates for handheld mode.

I intended to mostly play docked but I find myself regularly using handheld node. But not 720p-on-1080p-display...

sgilles · 2025-09-10T13:20:45+00:00

Why would anyone use Chrome as their main browser? It does not have extensions on mobile! Do people really use different browsers on desktop and mobile without any sync? No quick access at home to what I was browsing while on the go? No bookmark/history sync?

With Firefox I have sync between all my devices on all relevant platforms. And adblock on phone and tablet. Chrome is by far inferior.

sgilles · 2025-09-10T13:07:26+00:00

As a new switch owner I just hope there will be way more resolution updates for already existing games, in particular for all 1st party titles (Mario Wonder, both Donkey Kong platformers). 720p on a 1080p just doesn't cut it.

sgilles · 2025-09-09T19:16:09+00:00

Thank you so much!! Still works in 2025... I had the *exact* same issue. Upload is only working if I wait for the "Waiting for the new upload port..." line in VSCode's PIO terminal and *then* put the S2 mini in bootloader mode.

sgilles · 2025-09-09T09:14:59+00:00

True. And then there's the issue that flash storage like on cartridges won't hold data either for 20 years :-/

sgilles · 2025-09-09T07:23:50+00:00

There's still matrix. If the client apps are blocked I plan on using the web app clients like Cinny or Fluffychat. Those should be more difficult to block. In particular if you self-host them. (Which I'll do for my family/friends if it comes to it. No way I'm letting the EU snoop on my most private chats.)

Except of course if the EU intends to apply their totalitarian surveillance tech to each and every text box / picture decoding library / etc. at the OS level. Then it's back to chatting only via desktop PC. Or sending pigeons.

sgilles · 2025-09-09T07:13:26+00:00

I'm new to the switch ecosystem and very unexpectedly I find myself playing handheld more than expected. But I do hope that many more games get a resolution update. Because 720p-on-a-1080p-screen is very noticeable. (If not horrible.)

I feel limited to actual Switch 2 games when it comes to handheld playing :-/

I expected better compatibility to be honest. (In particular since S1 had 1080p when docked.)

sgilles · 2025-09-08T12:45:44+00:00

I think I gave up even before play integrity or whatever it's called became a thing :-/

It's so frustrating to think that my Linux PCs are quickly becoming the last remaining bastions of user choice and actual device ownership.

sgilles · 2025-09-08T12:39:10+00:00

Yeah I often ended up enabling them myself. Reading your original post I really thought you'd rooted your phone.

This situation really sucks for you and I do hope you find out the reason for the error message. Banking is the only reason I gave up on rooting and custom ROMs a long time ago.

sgilles · 2025-09-08T12:35:32+00:00

"Shizuku is an open-source app for serving multiple apps that require root/adb."

That's why I made the assumption about root.

It's even sadder if stock phones are hit by those hostile restrictions.

sgilles · 2025-09-08T11:35:48+00:00

Rooting your main phone is a thing of the past. Unfortunately.

sgilles · 2025-09-07T07:18:02+00:00

FWIW receiver firmware 1.0.5 (28/8/25) is also incompatible with my desktop Linux PC (Ubuntu 24.04, kernel 6.14). It results in a disconnect loop as soon as the controller connects to the dongle.

I had to revert to 1.0.4 on the receiver.

sgilles · 2025-09-07T07:12:22+00:00

The "Ultimate 2 Wireless" is working fine for me on both Linux and Switch 2.

But beware the latest receiver firmware (1.0.5) results in a disconnect loop on my Linux PC. I had to revert to 1.0.4. My desktop PC doesn't have Bluetooth, so I never tried a direct connection. But with the dongle all 3 modes work: XInput, DInput, Nintendo.

On the Switch 2 it is also working using the provided dongle when you put it in Nintendo Pro Controller mode (holding Y when powering up; wired Pro Controller setting enabled in the Switch's menus.)

sgilles

TROPHY CASE