[ad_1]
Samsung joins the not-so-short list of mobile payment services. Apple and Google have one, but companies like Payback are also part of it. Samsung Pay is relatively young and already faces serious accusations. Stiftung Warentest took a closer look at Samsung’s payment service. The resume makes you think: Samsung Pay is taking too many rights, judges the consumer organization.
As in most cases, it is not the technical requirements that are inadequate, but the management of customer data. As Stiftung Warentest discovered, Samsung Pay revokes all kinds of rights immediately after installing the app on the smartphone. The payment service not only wipes data from other apps, but can theoretically also shut them down. In addition, Samsung Pay accesses contacts, can read and receive SMS, switch WLAN networks and read RAM. The latter tend to be among the classic permissions for apps.
Samsung Pay: problematic data protection
Anyone who downloads an app is shown permissions in advance and must actively consent before the download begins if the app needs access rights. Users should read these permissions and, if necessary, ask themselves: Why does the app need to access certain information or parts of the app’s system? In many cases, access rights make sense, for example if a messenger can view contacts to synchronize them. At least as often, however, the authorization provided for sensitive data is not traceable.
This is where Stiftung Warentest comes in and states that apps like Samsung Pay run rights in the background, meaning the user probably won’t notice the actions. With services like these, the focus is on user convenience, but not the underlying processes. The consumer organization fears this has far-reaching consequences – for example, Samsung Pay apps could be installed without the user’s knowledge and their permissions could be canceled. Furthermore, there is a risk that these later installed apps can access sensitive data. Key word: data theft.
More consumer-friendly competition
Stiftung Warentest’s assessment also includes the fact that Samsung Pay users must create an account with Solaris Bank before using the payment service. With this, Samsung has partnered with Samsung Pay. If you pay with Samsung Pay, the payment is then made using a Solaris Bank Visa debit card. Competitors Google Pay and Apple Pay don’t require it and are therefore much more consumer-friendly.
Source link
