cross-posted from: https://fost.hu/post/226135

Let’s say, I create a bank with the caveat that all of my banking phone apps and webapps are FOSS (or if they depend on non-free components — banks probably do to communicate with each other —, then just OSS). Am I going to be behind the competition by doing this?

If the most secure crypto algorithms are the ones that are public, can we ensure the security of a bank’s apps by publicizing it?

Are they not doing this because they secretly collect a lot of data (on top of your payment history because of the centralized nature of card payments) through these apps?

EDIT: Clarifying question: Is there a technical reason they don’t publicize their code or is it just purely corporate greed and nothing else?

  • 𝕽𝖚𝖆𝖎𝖉𝖍𝖗𝖎𝖌𝖍@midwest.social
    3·
    11 months ago

    OP raises a good point, though. Why isn’t there a standard banking API that all banks could use, against which applications could be written?

    People don’t choose banks because of the bank’s app. Banks are also pretty sticky. Having a standard would allow banks to save money on application development. I just don’t see what the value-add of proprietary banking APIs are for them. It doesn’t seem like much of a differentiator.

    I think there’s a sort of standard in the EU; why doesn’t the US have one?