⚠️ Data Sensitivity Tier 2: Financial transaction data, payment history, and income patterns. Reviewed under stricter standards per Privacy Watchdog Methodology.
🏦

Fintech Banking Privacy Reviews

Digital banks and payment apps have complete visibility into your financial life - income, spending, and transfers.

4
Services Reviewed
48
Avg Score
26
Red Flags Found

Service Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of privacy scores across major fintech banking services.

Service Score Grade Key Privacy Issue
Chime
Best in Category
58 C+ Common Sense "Warning" rating; no data sales stated View Review →
Venmo
50 C FTC 2018 settlement; 207M transactions exposed via public API View Review →
Cash App
45 C- CFPB $175M penalty (2025); federal criminal investigation View Review →
Zelle
Lowest in Category
40 C- NY AG lawsuit alleging $1B stolen; Senate investigation View Review →

🔎 Key Findings Across All Fintech Banking

Regulatory Enforcement Crisis

$180M+ in CFPB penalties across Cash App ($175M) and Chime ($4.55M) for security failures and consumer harm. Source: CFPB

Fraud Liability on Consumers

NY AG alleges $1 billion stolen from Zelle users. Senate investigation found reimbursement rates declined from 62% to 38%. Source: NY AG

Public-by-Default Data

Venmo exposed 207 million transactions via public API before FTC intervention. Default settings still favor public visibility. Source: FTC

Independent "Warning" Ratings

Common Sense Privacy rates both Chime and Cash App as "Warning" (43-44%) - "do not meet our recommendations for privacy and security." Source: Common Sense

Service Reviews

Click through for complete privacy analysis of each service.

Chime

58/100 (C+)
  • Common Sense Privacy: 43% "Warning" rating
  • States no data sales in privacy policy
  • CCPA compliant data practices
Full Review →

Venmo

50/100 (C)
  • FTC 2018 settlement for privacy misrepresentations
  • 207M transactions scraped via public API (2019)
  • Plaid Inc. $58M settlement for unauthorized data access
Full Review →

Cash App

45/100 (C-)
  • CFPB $175M penalty (Jan 2025) for "weak security protocols"
  • Federal criminal investigation ongoing
  • Common Sense Privacy: 44% "Warning" rating
Full Review →

Zelle

40/100 (C-)
  • NY AG lawsuit: alleges $1 billion stolen from users
  • Senate investigation: reimbursement declined 62% to 38%
  • Claims not subject to EFTA consumer protections
Full Review →

Privacy Concerns?

If you're worried about how these services are using your data, or need help understanding your rights under privacy laws, I can help.