Comment by adrian_b
5 days ago
Maybe, but I am not aware of anybody being forced to make a Facebook account.
Even in Europe, many banks are now blackmailing their clients into making Google accounts, as a condition for continuing to have access to online banking (and even if you had not wanted online banking, that would have been a difficult choice, as many brick-and-mortar bank agencies have been closed).
Why isn't there a European alternative to Gmail? One that is focused on Euro laws like GDPR ?
The Google accounts are not required for e-mail.
The banks have deactivated the hardware devices that provided one-time access tokens and they now require for login an app installed on your smartphone, and they refuse to give you the app from any other source except the Google store (or Apple store). You cannot download any app from the Google store without a Google account.
It would be enough for the banks to provide the apk file for downloading on their Web site, to be able to avoid having a Google account.
As an American, I have a stupid question here: Europeans are smart and capable. Why would they be satisfied with this kind of international dependency for something as important as banking?
Im not a European, but Proton given its location in CH should be following the GDPR.