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@altkey@lemmy.dbzer0.com

2026-09-06 06:50 UTC

Pay by smile: complete privacy erosion in Russia Let’s skip the whole bit of me still living there and come to the post’s subject The culture of paying for stuff there is complicated. While at most places like general stores you can pay with both cash and cards/QR, and that goes for like 15 years, some places prefer one mode exclusively, e.g. privately-owned buses do only cash or newer shops not having a traditional cash register at all. You learn that as you go, and I generally avoid the second ones. The difference doesn’t stop here though, and depending on infrastructure leverage, stores either use their own hardware to accept payments, or they use one from Sberbank, the main bank in Russia, for a fee. Southern mega store chain Magnet uses their own scan panels you put your card onto and what they have on you, especially if you use a loyalty card to link all your purchases to the same account, is with them and them alone. But smaller chains and single stores use Sber infrastructure and their card readers. While these accept any russian card, there always was a fear that they still process and look into every payment even if you aren’t their client. Moreso, the recent models of their card scanners are equipped with a camera, and they can and do scan your face. I was oblivious to it for some time, but recently I got a very urgent reminder. I bought a jug of beer at a small chain of breweries and when it came to paying for it, their Sberbank scanner got into “pay by smile” mode. I didn’t notice it at the time, and even put a card of another bank to the scanner, but when I got home I realised it took money from my Sber account, from the card I never carry with me. So, unknown to me, they got my face biometrics and billed me based on that. With how many places have these Sber’s readers, I got tracked by face in almost every place providing products and services, with enough precision bank fiends trust it. That’s cops’ paradise. Keeping in mind I’m still yanking myself out of serving for obvious reasons, I’m pretty terrified that if they’d want me in, they’d have a realtime report of where and when I bought stuff, they can take me on exit. There were leads, like triangulating my simcard usage or payment history, but they weren’t as firm as a picture of my face at this place at this time. That’s the whole another level of surveiliance you’d hardly dodge as long as you need food or water. I don’t know if it’s the case in other countries, but I want to to warn you that it can happen, and it’s even worse than Flock.

Replies (5)

  • @Daxter101@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2026-09-06 07:27

    The fact that banks trust it enough, is a completely new development for me. That does sound like a new paradigm. And it’s scary.

    Open ##4630500

  • @OwOarchist@pawb.social 2026-09-06 08:08

    So … anyone who gets a picture of your face can charge money from your account? Surely this would never be abused in any way, right? Time to withdraw everything from the bank and start living cash-only.

    Open ##4630582

  • @Auster@thebrainbin.org 2026-09-06 11:17

    Bank apps in Brazil demand face scans to validate installations for some years now, so while the path is different, result can easily be similar: your expenses are tied to your identity. No privacy and a track record if someone wants to do some fishing expeditions. The current government here, which is being seen as a dictatorship more and more even by its previous allies, was also trying to push for Drex, a cryptocurrency they would control, while also trying to kill physical money. The Executive also did a rule that if you made more than a total sum of iirc 5000 reais in transactions in a month (very low amount tbh), you had to show all your finances of the year to the government agency tasked with gains and expenses taxes, killing another aspect of privacy and financial privacy.

    Open ##4631026

  • @veniasilente@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-09-06 17:21

    Keeping in mind I’m still yanking myself out of serving for obvious reasons, I’m pretty terrified that if they’d want me in, Carry a knife. If they want to take you, you take one of them too. Other than that, if they can draw money out of your accounts without your involevment then your money is not safe there. Withdraw and move to another bank, or to prepaid cards (so you don’t carry much / all your cash with you as a risk factor).

    Open ##4632055

  • @Souvenir@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2026-09-06 19:12

    I heard a story of someone who was about to be conscripted into the dutch army back in the day. Before his intake interview he stuffed a load of peanut butter between his butt cheeks. When they had him come in for the interview, he told them he looked forward to serving, but then proceeded to take a big scoop of peanut butter from out of his pants and eat it. I assume that wouldn’t work in Russia, because you’d run the risk of becoming a general.

    Open ##4632352