activistPnk

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Depositing money into someone else’s bank acct over-the-counter is possible in the US -- but what about Europe? in c/personalfinance@sopuli.xyz
[–] activistPnk@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I assume you’re talking about the US, right? Guessing on the basis that Europe does not seem to have credit unions AFAICT.

The ID requirement may be fair enough.. something we have to live with if it’s a legal obligation. But in Europe it’s a bit of a disaster because the post office doesn’t just accept any ID. It must be from the EU and must have a chip that their system can read, so they can collect your residential address and track payers digitally. Of course that all breaks down if the ID doesn’t have a chip, or the chip does not have the info the system is trying to extract. Then the post office just refuses the money. Staff are becoming more and more helpless when digital systems cannot handle various scenarios.

Have your say: Citizens and businesses can share their views on new EU policies and existing laws in c/europe
[–] activistPnk@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

That’s the same portal that they expected us to use to report what a shit show GDPR enforcement has been the past 4 years. The irony was the site demanded more information than necessary -- thus the site asking how is the GDPR going was itself infringing on data minimisation. It’s fussy about who hosts the email address they force you to disclose. I eventually got an account after revealing more than I wanted to and then the JavaScript doc submission app gave vague errors anyway and could not be used. It also forces periodic password changes which seems a bit over the top for this sort of mission.

tl;dr: not everyone can have their say. Only some people.

I've started building a TUI for Lemmy in c/linux@lemmy.ml
[–] activistPnk@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 month ago

fwiw, here is an emacs version:

https://codeberg.org/martianh/lem.el#headline-11

I think what would be most useful would be a usenet→lemmy gateway, so that rich catalog of usenet clients can be leveraged on Lemmy.

List of lemmy apps in c/tchncs@discuss.tchncs.de
ATMs are becoming a shit-show in Europe. Can cash back save us? Info is sparse as fuck. in c/europe
[–] activistPnk@slrpnk.net -1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I said it was unlikely to change, because there’s little profit in catering to such the niche crowd of cash-only tourists with incompatible cards who also

^ this is a stark good example of endorsement of marginalisation. You identify a group as “niche” and say it’s okay to fuck them over because they are a minority.

didn’t think to pick up foreign cash at home.

What an absurd attempt to declare ATMs redundant. You cannot just walk through the airport with €10k and expect no problems or questions asked. You cannot carry that around with you and claim you have the same security than if don’t. Some will go as far as to only use ATMs inside casinos because they rightfully have concern for security just along the road between the casino and external ATM.

Also, not offering a specific service to anyone isn’t “marginalizing”.

Of course it is. Discriminating against a demographic of people is obviously marginalisation.

I don’t marginalize black people by not cutting their hair, because I don’t cut anyone’s hair…

This is a fallacy of bad analogy. If you don’t cut anyone’s hair you are not faced with treating different hair clients differently. Unlike ATMs which are treating different demographics of people differently.

Seems like the US bank should make a new partnership then? It’s weird you place the onus of this entirely on the destination bank instead of your own.

It’s weird to rationalise the consequences of elimination of competition as something other than antitrust, and then misplace the onus on consumers and external banks who are the ones disadvantaged by the loss of competition as if there is no cost to that. It’s somewhat like another manifestation of victim blame. The power imbalance inherently makes negotiation unfavorable for those burdened by the monopoly. It also intensifies the damage done by the monopoly. If all banks negotiate a deal with Geldmaat, Geldmaat’s sparse competition (which only exists in some cities but not others) is not interesting for foreign banks to negotiate with.

Well no, it’s not all about getting cash. Or at least, that’s not the message you’ve been sending, from all your exceptions and problems.

Of course it is. The problem is for me to define and describe. And I have described a problem increasingly broken cash retrieval infrastructure. You saying “use a card” is absolutely not relevant to the problem. It’s an attempt to undermine the discussion of the problem as described.

It’s about getting cash while on vacation (no long-term stay)

It does not matter how long the stay is. ATM monopoly X treats people Y poorly no matter how long they are visiting.

without traveling to a specific foreign exchange machine/office (has to be within the small town you’re staying in)

Don’t try to muddy the waters because you’ve failed to defend the increasing enshitification of the status quo. FX offices are a different service with different costs serving a different workflow and cannot replace ATMs because they rely on assumptions about the sending bank that ATMs do not. Not to mention hours of operation and availability differences.

or bringing foreign currency from home (something you didn’t respond to),

That doesn’t need a response because it fails to replace ATMs. That option always existed independent from ATMs and still remains less popular than ATMs for countless reasons. To suggest OTC cash exchange is to disregard fees and various offerings by different banks. A bank with zero markup exchange on their card at an ATM will not typically give you that zero markup when you appear in person with cash.

ATMs are becoming a shit-show in Europe. Can cash back save us? Info is sparse as fuck. in c/europe
[–] activistPnk@slrpnk.net -1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

There are more methods of payment or ways to get goods and services than in 2015.

You can have all the smartphone frills you want. QR codes, apps, NFC, .. all useless to those who grok privacy. All the privacy-naive cashless options are rich for sure. There is no shortage of innovations to get your data. But when you break ATMs, you break privacy. All these bullshit options do not serve as a replacement for people who are not privacy-naive.

For Dutch people, that doesn’t matter at all, since to them, all those machines were exactly the same for many years,

This is a common theme in your messaging.. that it’s okay to marginalise demographics of people you are not in.. that it’s their problem for not being in your marginalisation-free demographic.

I’m not fully sure on what rates different banks used to charge foreign accounts, maybe that was different.

Different banks have different partnership agreements with US banking networks. I’m sure it’s a shit show now that competition is gone. Some US banks simply eat the ATM fee for their customers and some do not. It’s another loss of options. Some people probably have to start paying a fee once their bank’s partnership with SNS (for example) becomes useless.

But for some reason, you have a burning need to implement one specific solution (cashback) in favour of all the others. Why? What is the core of your issue?

It’s all about getting cash because electronic payment cannot replace cash from a privacy standpoint. I expect to pay cash for alcohol and marijuana. I also expect to pay cash for everything else because privacy matters. You can name off all the fancy new electronic options you want -- they do not replace cash. Cash is how Wikileaks survived when the banks blocked payments to them. Not even cryptocurrency can replace cash (though it comes the closest to being a viable alternative). Anonymous prepaid cards don’t likely exist in Netherlands, and they are not likely as free as cash transactions and would at least have the waste of expiration and unspent funds. So still lousy compared to decentralised ATMs that work.

Trading one good option for a dozen shitty inferior options that tie you to electronic records and limit your control is a poor trade-off. It’s clearly worse than it was 2015.

ATMs are becoming a shit-show in Europe. Can cash back save us? Info is sparse as fuck. in c/europe
[–] activistPnk@slrpnk.net -1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (4 children)

Meanwhile, you’re shouting things have gotten much worse, when they clearly haven’t:

Clearly they have. Ten years ago when an ATM tells you to fuck off, you could just walk a block or two down the street to an ATM by a different operator. That choice was taken away from us in the past few years. And it’s getting worse. Independent ATMs are getting boarded up and mothballed. The trend of banks leaving the ATM business and consolidating into a monopoly is spreading. We have lost ATM diversity and competition. And there are fewer of them. If you are in a small city with only Geldmaats and Geldmaat decides to marginalise you, you’re fucked. That was not a problem 10 yrs ago.

It’s unclear how you are not grasping that fewer options means less autonomy. Fewer players implies power imbalance. Monopolies are a bad idea in general not just because power becomes centralised but also because our data becomes centralised and consequently centrally vulnerable along with being exposed to centralised mishandling.

ATMs are becoming a shit-show in Europe. Can cash back save us? Info is sparse as fuck. in c/europe
[–] activistPnk@slrpnk.net -2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

So you say I shouldnt beleieve the news

That’s not what I said. Read your own quote. Sensational penalty figures are irrelevant. I gave you the source of the raw unadulterated data with stats. If you want to ignore that and have the media tell you what they think you should find relevant, you are free to do so. But this is why you are misinformed about GDPR enforcement. That, and your anecdotal experience which does not even test GDPR enforcement.

ATMs are becoming a shit-show in Europe. Can cash back save us? Info is sparse as fuck. in c/europe
[–] activistPnk@slrpnk.net -2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (6 children)

It really seems that this is a very you-problem,

Victim blame is really fucked up here. ATMs are violating the GDPR by making use of undisclosed automatic decision making. Only pushovers blindly accept that the ATM is serving them well when some AI algo decides you are not profitable, or whatever.. we actually don’t even get the benefit of knowing what that non-transparent algo is basing its decisions on. It’s really a dick move to then say to those rejected by that AI processing are themselves the problem. People rejected by that machine aren’t even told what they need to do to not be rejected.

and you’ve decided you want a solution that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen here.

You’re not paying attention. The fix exists: shops like SPAR and Aldi give cashback. The purpose of the thread is to crowdsource information that is undisclosed. It’s unclear exactly which SPAR locations outside UK supports cashback, and who else does. In this shitshow of a hunt for criminals causing collateral damage to lawful citizens, we need options. And we need them documented.

ATMs are becoming a shit-show in Europe. Can cash back save us? Info is sparse as fuck. in c/europe
[–] activistPnk@slrpnk.net 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Oh, right I forgot the EU controls that. The EU limits those fees by law. Outside the EU the free market yields fees of ~3—5%. It’s still a shit show of cash payers subsidising card payers in the end, helping the consumers who reduce our privacy by supporting the war on cash.

ATMs are becoming a shit-show in Europe. Can cash back save us? Info is sparse as fuck. in c/europe
[–] activistPnk@slrpnk.net -4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

You linked to a comment, and I don’t see an article there, but maybe I’m not noticing something.

That comment is the source. It is now your job (if you choose to accept it), to chase that up, ask the source for their source, and investigate until you are satisfied. Or give up. You have the source to do what you want with it. But you can’t reasonably claim the source was not given.

I’m not going to do an investigation for you. Do your own homework. You are the sole judge for the standard of evidence you seek. I could not act your behalf even if I wanted to.

Afaik GDPR applies to EU citizens worldwide, not expats living in the EU.

The GDPR covers EU citizens worldwide and also everyone in Europe regardless of citizenship (expats and even 1-day tourists passing through). That doesn’t mean you have a functional enforcement infrastructure when shit falls apart. The system isn’t even fully operational inside the EU for EU citizens facing EU companies. Enforcement is a shit show. Absolutely laughable to think someone can return to the US and demand GDPR protection on their EU transactions. It’s technically covered but there is no long-arm jurisdiction that would effectively lead to a fine on a US bank. No teeth. These rules are just for show. The EU has rubber-stamped the US as “adequate” w.r.t the GDPR likely for political reasons / trade relations, but it’s a joke. It would be naive to put stock in that.

(edit) What do you even expect to happen in this bizarre fantasy where you think you have all the benefits the GDPR attempts/pretends to deliver? That a US card holder would call their US bank and say “delete those transactions where I was drinking at a bar in the EU”? Even wholly within Europe, the bank has a legal obligation to retain that data. You cannot willy nilly make an art.17 req. and expect satisfaction of your demand. Your art.17 request to delete your speeding ticket will just be laughed at. With banking transactions you have an expectation that EU banks keep that data but does not needlessly share it. Try demanding a non-EU bank tag all your EU transactions and block them from sharing. Your demand will be laughed at (despite being technically valid). Then to come into this forum and tell people they can rely on non-EU banks not sharing EU-based transactions is perversely reckless.

I really hope no one would actually believe your bullshit. It’s dangerous to mislead people to think they have privacy safeguards they can rely on when they do not.

GDPR enforcement works, it’s not a quick process, but companies gets fines all the time for that, if you follow related news.

Nonsense. Forget the news, they just sensationalise the fine amounts. Have a look at https://www.enforcementtracker.com/ to get the real data. Look at the fines per month stats. It’s at the bottom of the stats page. An embarrassment.

it’s not a quick process,

The EDPB published the average times from submission to fine per member state last year. When i say all the violations have been mothballed, it means they have sat more than double the average processing time. They sat for years -- so long that the benefit of action has diminished and unrecovered damage is history.

I regularly request deletion of my data from websites, and never been refused that.

That is not a test of GDPR enforcement. That is simply data controllers complying voluntarily.

A data controller sought out my sensitive personal data without my consent, collected it from another data controller who distributed it without my consent, used that info to send even more sensitive info outside the EU to a surveillance advertiser, and neither of them informed me of the collection and processing. When I discovered it, the acquiring data controller ignored my repeated article 17 requests. This is the most perverse abuse you can have in the right to erasure category. Then the DPA mothballed what was an easy open-shut case.

ATMs are becoming a shit-show in Europe. Can cash back save us? Info is sparse as fuck. in c/europe
[–] activistPnk@slrpnk.net 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Different people pay different fees. Even “basic” accounts are non-free in Europe. But I believe what daddy32 has in mind is the extortionate ~3-5% fee charged to the merchants by the card networks. Consumers are oblivious to that but they pay it one way or another. The visa/mc merchant agreements also bar merchants from surcharging card payers, which further conceals the fee. So the cost gets factored in. The only practical way to escape it is for the merchant to be a cash-only shop. Which btw was just banned in Belgium. Shops are now /forced/ to accept electronic payment and effectively pass on all those fees to all consumers.

By paying in cash, you at least reduce the fees the merchant pays on your transaction, which helps all consumers. When you pay by card, you effectively force other consumers to subsidise the fees you generate.

5
Simply Translate gives garbage output; Lingva craps out and gives no information, often on bulky content. Translation FEs should translate text in small pieces. (slrpnk.net)
submitted 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) by activistPnk@slrpnk.net to c/bugs@sopuli.xyz
1 comments fedilink
 

Lingva & Simply Translate are two different front-ends to Google Translate. I’m not running the software myself because I run Argos locally (for privacy), but when Argos gives a really bad translation I resort to Lingva and Simply Translate instances.

I tried to translate a privacy policy. Results:

Lingva instances:

  • translate.plausibility.cloud ← goes to lunch
  • lingva.lunar.icu ← gives “414 Request-URI Too Large”
  • lingva.ml & lingva.garudalinux.org ← fuck off Cloudflare! Obviously foolishly purpose defeating to surreptitiously expose people to CF who are trying to avoid direct Google connections.
  • translate.igna.wtf ← dead
  • translate.dr460nf1r3.org ← dead

Simply Translate instances (list of instances broken for me but found a year-old mirror of that):

  • simplytranslate.org ← just gives a blank
  • st.tokhmi.xyz ← up but results are just CSS garbage
  • translate.bus-hit.me (ST fork mozhi) ← shoots a blank result
  • simplytranslate.pussthecat.org ← redirects to mozhi.pussthecat.org
  • mozhi.pussthecat.org (ST fork mozhi) ← shoots a blank result
  • translate.projectsegfau.lt (ST fork mozhi) ←translates the first word then drops the rest; this instance is incorrectly listed as Lingva
  • translate.northboot.xyz ← up but results are just CSS garbage
  • st.privacydev.net ← up but results are just CSS garbage
  • tl.vern.cc ← up but results are just CSS garbage

~~It looks as if Simply Translate is not keeping up with Google API changes.~~ (edit: actually the CSS garbage is what we get when feeding it bulky input -- those instances work on small input)

graveyard of dead sites:

  • simplytranslate.manerakai.com ← redirects to vacated site
  • translate.josias.dev
  • translate.riverside.rocks
  • translate.tiekoetter.com
  • simplytranslate.esmailelbob.xyz
  • translate.slipfox.xyz
  • translate.priv.pw
  • st.odyssey346.dev
  • fyng2tsmzmvxmojzbbwmfnsn2lrcyftf4cw6rk5j2v2huliazud3fjid.onion
  • xxtbwyb5z5bdvy2f6l2yquu5qilgkjeewno4qfknvb3lkg3nmoklitid.onion
  • translate.prnoid54e44a4bduq5due64jkk7wcnkxcp5kv3juncm7veptjcqudgyd.onion
  • simplytranslate.esmail5pdn24shtvieloeedh7ehz3nrwcdivnfhfcedl7gf4kwddhkqd.onion
  • tl.vernccvbvyi5qhfzyqengccj7lkove6bjot2xhh5kajhwvidqafczrad.onion
  • st.g4c3eya4clenolymqbpgwz3q3tawoxw56yhzk4vugqrl6dtu3ejvhjid.onion

Why this is a bug

Frond-ends and proxies exist to circumvent the anti-features of the service they are facilitating access to. So if there is a volume limitation, the front-end should be smart enough to split the content into pieces, translate the pieces separately, and reassemble. In fact that should be done anyway for privacy, to disassociate pieces of text from each other.

Alternatively (and probably better), would be to have a front-end for the front-ends. Something that gives a different paragraph to several different Lingva/ST instances and reassembles the results. This would (perhaps?) link a different IP to each piece assuming the front-ends also proxy (not sure if that’s the case).

1
Street Complete is basically dysfunctional. (slrpnk.net)
 

Street Complete is quite dysfunctional for me. I just get a beige background with icons (+) (-) (ø) ≡. Long tapping gives:

  • create new note
  • create new track recording
  • open location in another app

There is no way to specify a location to edit. If I go online and turn on GPS, the screen fills with questions to answer but still no map.

How do I get a map?

How do I specify a location to go to?

18
OpenStreetMaps enhancement: ATMs are a shit show and need to be reworked with more fields and criteria (slrpnk.net)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by activistPnk@slrpnk.net to c/bugs@sopuli.xyz
0 comments fedilink
 

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/11375008

Whoever designed the OSM db either never uses ATM machines or they have never experienced anything like the ATM disaster in Netherlands. The OSM db has most ATM brands incorrect for Netherlands and seriously needs more fields so travelers can actually find a functioning ATM.

brands are mostly incorrect

Pick any Dutch city. Search » Categories » custom search » Finance » ATM. The brands are mostly misinfo. These ATM brands do not exist anywhere in Netherlands:

  • Rabobank
  • ABN AMRO
  • Ing
  • SNS

All those banks removed all their ATM machines and joined a monopolistic consortium called “Geldmaat”. There is generally an ATM at those locations but it’s always a Geldmaat ATM. So a simple find and replace is needed on all the Dutch maps.

For indoor ATMs, the brand is often incorrectly named after the shop it’s in. That’s useful for finding it but still missing important info: the actual ATM brand. ATM brand is very important because different ATM brands give differing degrees of shitty treatment. If brand X refuses your card, all instances of that ATM brand will likely refuse your card. So the “brand” field should always reflect the ATM operator. Having a separate shop name field would be useful for locating the machine.

missing key attributes

Travelers should not have to spend hours running from one ATM to another until they find one that works. There are lots of basic variables that need to be accounted for in the db:

  • (real or fixed point) ATM fee
  • (enum set) currencies other than local (a rare but very useful option is to e.g. pull out GBP or USD in the eurozone)
  • (enum set) card networks supported (visa, amex, discover, maestro, etc)
  • (enum set) UI languages supported
  • (integer) transaction limit for domestic cards
  • (integer) transaction limit for foreign cards
  • (integer set) denominations in the machine (Netherlands quietly removed all banknotes >€50 from all ATMs IIUC)
  • (boolean) whether customers can control the denominations
  • (boolean) indoor/outdoor (if the txn limit field is empty, indoor machines often have higher limits)
    • (string) hours of operation (if indoor)
    • (string) name of shop the ATM is inside (if indoor)
  • (enum) whether a balance check is supported: [no | only some cards | any card]; this feature is non-existent in Belgium but common in Netherlands. Note that some ATMs only give balance on their own cards.
    • (enum) whether the balance is on screen or printed to the receipt, or both
  • (boolean) insertion style -- whether the card is sucked into the machine (this is very important because if the card is sucked in by a motor there is a real risk that the machine keeps the card [yes, that’s deliberate]). Motorised insertion is more reliable but carries the risk of confiscation. Manual insertion can be fussy and take many tries to get it to read the card but you never have to worry about confiscation.
  • (boolean) dynamic currency conversion (DCC)
  • (boolean) whether there is an earphone port for blind people (not sure if that’s always there)
1
ATMs are a shit show in OSM and need to be reworked with more fields and criteria (slrpnk.net)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by activistPnk@slrpnk.net to c/osmand@lemmy.ml
1 comments fedilink
 

Whoever designed the OSM db either never uses ATM machines or they have never experienced anything like the ATM disaster in Netherlands. The OSM db has most ATM brands incorrect for Netherlands and seriously needs more fields so travelers can actually find a functioning ATM.

brands are mostly incorrect

Pick any Dutch city. Search » Categories » custom search » Finance » ATM. The brands are mostly misinfo. These ATM brands do not exist anywhere in Netherlands:

  • Rabobank
  • ABN AMRO
  • Ing
  • SNS

All those banks removed all their ATM machines and joined a monopolistic consortium called “Geldmaat”. There is generally an ATM at those locations but it’s always a Geldmaat ATM. So a simple find and replace is needed on all the Dutch maps.

For indoor ATMs, the brand is often incorrectly named after the shop it’s in. That’s useful for finding it but still missing important info: the actual ATM brand. ATM brand is very important because different ATM brands give differing degrees of shitty treatment. If brand X refuses your card, all instances of that ATM brand will likely refuse your card. So the “brand” field should always reflect the ATM operator. Having a separate shop name field would be useful for locating the machine.

missing key attributes

Travelers should not have to spend hours running from one ATM to another until they find one that works. There are lots of basic variables that need to be accounted for in the db:

  • (real or fixed point) ATM fee
  • (enum set) currencies other than local (a rare but very useful option is to e.g. pull out GBP or USD in the eurozone)
  • (enum set) card networks supported (visa, amex, discover, maestro, etc)
  • (enum set) UI languages supported
  • (integer) transaction limit for domestic cards
  • (integer) transaction limit for foreign cards
  • (integer set) denominations in the machine (Netherlands quietly removed all banknotes >€50 from all ATMs IIUC)
  • (boolean) whether customers can control the denominations
  • (boolean) indoor/outdoor (if the txn limit field is empty, indoor machines often have higher limits)
    • (string) hours of operation (if indoor)
    • (string) name of shop the ATM is inside (if indoor)
  • (enum) whether a balance check is supported: [no | only some cards | any card]; this feature is non-existent in Belgium but common in Netherlands. Note that some ATMs only give balance on their own cards.
    • (enum) whether the balance is on screen or printed to the receipt, or both
  • (boolean) insertion style -- whether the card is sucked into the machine (this is very important because if the card is sucked in by a motor there is a real risk that the machine keeps the card [yes, that’s deliberate]). Motorised insertion is more reliable but carries the risk of confiscation. Manual insertion can be fussy and take many tries to get it to read the card but you never have to worry about confiscation.
  • (boolean) dynamic currency conversion (DCC)
  • (boolean) whether there is an earphone port for blind people (not sure if that’s always there)
7
4 out of ~17 ATM withdrawal attempts in Netherlands succeeded; ATMs always give false error msgs; no ATM competition; who offers cash back? (slrpnk.net)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by activistPnk@slrpnk.net to c/thenetherlands@feddit.nl
2 comments fedilink
 

My attempt to get money out of the wall in Netherlands:

card 1: foreign, visa debit, funded and in good standing, ATM withdrawal limit by the issuing bank: ~€500, worked in the past on Geldmaat, Euronet, GWK, etc.
card 2: foreign, visa credit, no balance and in good standing, cash advance limit: ~€4k

city A:

  • ATM refused card 1. Error msg falsely blamed the card. (Likely Geldmaat or Euronet ATM but did not make notes)
  • ATM refused card 1. Error msg falsely blamed the card. (Likely Geldmaat or Euronet ATM but did not make notes)
  • ATM (Geldmaat) accepted card 1. fee: €4.00. Paid out.
  • ATM (Euronet) accepted card 1. fee: €3.95. Paid out.

city B:

  • ATM (Geldmaat) refused card 1 instantly before even asking for PIN. Error msg falsely blamed the card.
  • ATM (Geldmaat) refused card 1 instantly before even asking for PIN. Error msg falsely blamed the card.
  • ATM (Geldmaat) refused card 1 instantly before even asking for PIN. Error msg falsely blamed the card.
  • ATM (GWK) machine boarded up and permanently closed. This was the last non-Geldmaat ATM in the city. Spoke to bankers at 3 banks. Geldmaat totally monopolises this city. Not a single indepedent ATM and not a single alternative ATM network available. If the Geldmaat rejects you, you’re fucked and cannot get cash out of the wall in this city. Bankers of banks who are a part of the Geldmaat consortium are helpless. They have no way of diagnosing a broken ATM transaction.

city C:

  • ATM (Euronet) refused card 1 after entering PIN. Error msg falsely blamed the card.
  • ATM (Euronet) refused card 1 after entering PIN. Error msg falsely blamed the card.
  • ATM (GWK) machine permanently shutdown.
  • ATM (GWK) machine running but card insertion broken.
  • ATM (GWK) accepted card 1. fee: €4.00. Paid out.
  • ATM (independant) refused request for €1k, falsely claimed card 2 issuing bank refused transaction.
  • ATM (GWK) refused request for €1k, falsely claimed card 2 issuing bank refused transaction.
  • ATM (GWK) accepted card 1. UI accepted all input, then simply neglected to dispense cash. No error msg.
  • ATM (GWK) accepted card 1. fee: €4.00. Paid out.

false errors

The obvious pattern is that the ATM always blames the card or issuing bank; never says the refusal is due to its own faults or limitations. After this shit show of card refusals I spoke to both banks. Both banks confirmed what I already knew: that the accounts are in good standing. One bank did not even see any failed ATM attempts, which means the refusal was wholly on the part of the ATM. Then that bank did a deeper check and said that the upstream payment network shows failed attempts. Which means that the card was read just fine. The ATM operator refused the cash on its side and apparently the machines are coded to knowingly and willfully print false messages.

no transparency - secretly different treatment for foreign cards

My other bank said some of the refusals were “apparently¹” due to exceeding regional limits of the ATM (not the bank’s own limits). I read somewhere that domestic EU cards can withdraw €2000 from ATMs but the same ATMs tend to impose a smaller limit of like €500 on foreign cards. These limits change with each article or person I talk to. No transparency. Obviously when ATM fees are flat it makes sense to pull out a high amount to reduce relative overhead. Being forced into small transactions increases the net fees. And since the limits are concealed, making many attempts at different amounts risks getting the account locked due to a shitty AI algo deciding multiple failed attempts resembles fraud (yes, this happened to me before).

¹ Indeed the bank could see the refusal but the bank could only speculate about why it was refused. And the bank gave some questionable conjecture, saying the daily limit on foreign cards is €400 with a transaction limit of €2000. That can only make sense if the 400 is ATM-specific and the 2k is non-ATM txns. In any case I have no trust in that info (despite coming from the bank).

anti-competition

I think the problem largely boils down to the elimination of ATM competition in Netherlands. The banks have all removed their own machines and joined a single monolithic consortium. So the yellow “Geldmaat” gets a monopoly in some cities and a near duopoly in other cities. Without competition the incentive to serve people well (with dignity, respect, and transparency) is diminishing. The biggest tourist region (Amsterdam) has the widest range of choices in NL:

  • Geldmaat (consortium of Ing, ABN AMRO, Rabobank, and SNS)
  • Euronet (no idea if any banks are involved)
  • GWK (these ATMs are dropping like flies & getting boarded up in many cities)
  • independent (hard to find, no directory)

I would hope independent ATMs would be an escape from this shit show, but they are actually coming under fire now due to claims that money launderers are filling them with dirty money. So the situation will worsen.

cash back on purchases dicey

It seems like the only possible balance against the anti-competitive ATMs is to get cash back on a purchase. IIUC, this avoids fees. I did a quick check:

  • Albert Heijn: will only allow up to €20 in cash back
  • SPAR: rumored to allow up to €150 in cash back but when I tried to test this the cashier said the register had no cash. So it’s still a game of chance.
  • Smullers: heard speculation that they give cash back but no idea on limits.

The problem with cash back will always be that you are naturally limited to what is in the register. But it would be useful to at least know what the artificial limits of different shops are.

Is there any refuge from this nannying?

(update: one thing that would help is improved OpenStreetMap info)

7
(Lemmy regression) opening a new tab loses session cookie, thus logged out; update: hard-refresh also logs you out (slrpnk.net)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by activistPnk@slrpnk.net to c/bugs@sopuli.xyz
0 comments fedilink
 

In the Lemmy web client it used to be possible to open a new tab (control-tab) which would naturally be logged in. That goes for most websites. With Lemmy it started getting flakey (sometimes works, sometimes not). Lately it’s working less often and it seems browser flavor is a factor. Tor Browser (FF) generally works, but Ungoogled Chromium new tabs are logged out. So in UC, I have to do everything for a Lemmy instance under one tab.

I wonder what kind of funny business causes session cookies to fail. My guess is they are not using session cookies for logins but rather one of the rare alternatives.

update

With just one tab running, I did a hard refresh (control-shift-R). That logged me out presumably doing the same as getting a new tab. Using the /back/ button does not recover from this.

10
wing suits for Boeing passengers (slrpnk.net)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by activistPnk@slrpnk.net to c/solarpunktravel@slrpnk.net
12 comments fedilink
 

Just wanted to run this idea past folks.

If you generally boycott Boeing over their safety scandals or over their extreme right lobbying contributions that support that climate denying political party, but you find yourself taking a Boeing anyway (e.g. your employer books you on one), why not show up to board the plane wearing a wing suit?

The idea is to convey the idea that a panel can fall off at any moment, inconveniently suck you out, and you have a sudden unplanned need to fly on your own. A parachute is likely too bulky. It’s kind of a way to make a statement.

I’m not sure if the wing suit can be comfortable enough to sit in and actually simultaneously somewhat functional. Would we have to choose between sufficient comfort and sufficient gliding capability, or could we have both?

It doesn’t have to be ugly. Consider those Nepalese and African pants with knee-high crotches. Those are borderline wing suits for the bottom half. When legs are spread, it could reveal something like “Boeing passenger safety pants”.

I suppose the big question would be: would a Boeing pilot exercise their discretion and refuse to carry such a passenger?

0
Using broccoli stems as pickles (slrpnk.net)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by activistPnk@slrpnk.net to c/zerowaste@slrpnk.net
4 comments fedilink
 

After eating the last pickle save the jar of pickle juice. Then when a broccoli stem becomes available cut the tough outer skin off, chop it up and toss it in the pickle juice. Works well. They reach a taste that’s very close what the pickles tasted like. After 2 or 3 cycles of that the pickle juice starts losing its strong punch. Adding vinegar and a sweetener can help at that point if you don’t have more pickle juice by then.

Otherwise broccoli stems are not too versatile. They’re not that great in veg. stock because they bring a bit of bitterness. So I only use like ½ a stem in a pot of broth (which is wholly from veg scraps).

My next experiment (untested): reusing juice from a jar of jalapẽnos to pickle broccoli stems.

1
What happens when you can’t pay your tab at a bar because cash is refused? (slrpnk.net)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by activistPnk@slrpnk.net to c/juridisch@feddit.nl
0 comments fedilink
 

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/11153742

In a Dutch bar I ordered a few samples (which have no cost and were somewhat generous in size) and drank part way through them all. Then I ordered a full sized beer. I continued working on the samples.

Bartender asked if I wanted to pay now or start a tab. I asked if they accept cash. It feels silly to ask and I almost didn’t ask because the answer is always “yes”, of course. So I was shocked when the bartender said no.

WTF? Surely there would be enough customers who are wise enough to foresee possible consequences of having electronic records of alcohol consumption. It can only work against you, e.g. when the bank, data brokers, and insurance companies see an opportunity to collude and optimise your your insurance premiums using that info.

The GDPR would theoretically protect Europeans from that but bars are open to tourists -- non-Europeans with non-European bank accounts. I mentioned that to the bartender, who said “what’s the GDPR?” Wow. I was shocked again.

I made it clear that electronic payment doesn’t work for me (most especially when alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana are involved). I said: can someone pay with their own account and take my cash? Bartender asked if I have exact change. No, I didn’t but I got close enough that the bartender was able to use the tip jar to give me change.

I later noticed that the menu book (1st page after the cover) says “cash not accepted”. But I initially missed that because I ordered off the posted board. And there’s no guarantee anyway that a customer would see the first page. I often flip straight to the last page to look for drinks. When I left the bar I had a look at the entrance and door. There was no cash-hostile signage like some other shops have.

Questions for Dutch folks:

If the bar had been less reasonable, less flexible, how else might this have played out? I did not sip from the full beer before the conversation, so I suppose the bar could have just treated it like an erroneous beer pour and pour it down the drain.

Suppose I had not thought to ask if cash was accepted. What if I drank the beer and then my cash were refused with both sides standing their ground? There is a practical problem here not just a legal one. The hundreds worth of banknotes in my pocket would be worthless. So would it be no different than the situation of a deadbeat debtor who simply does not pay? Would I be cited and fined? Would I have the option to leave the bar with an invoice to pay by bank transfer, perhaps using the post office? Would I have to leave collateral such as an ID card while running the errand? And what if it’s Sunday or after hours of the post office?

What about the case where someone enters with bank card(s) that are in a broken state, unknown to the card holder? I’ve been in grocery store lines where a customer tries all their cards. Often the last card they try works but I’ve seen a case where someone had to leave all their groceries. I’ve been in situations where a card in good standing is refused for being foreign (despite the rules of the card network). Are these situations legally any different than someone who simply has no cards to pay with?

There is a very wise “EU Recommendation” that cash be accepted on payments towards debts specifically (not necessarily points of sale). I believe if you have a bar/restaurant tab that would be a /debt/, not a /point of sale/. But what are EU recommendations good for? Is it just to guide lawmakers, or is there some courtroom value when national policy deviates from the recommendation?

FWIW, this thread is where I learned that cash acceptance is optional in Netherlands. The original post was censored but that cross-post mirrors it.

1
(Lemmy) when a post is “removed by moderator”, it also gets removed from the federated node. (slrpnk.net)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by activistPnk@slrpnk.net to c/bugs@sopuli.xyz
0 comments fedilink
 

If fedi node A and node B both have an anti-spam rule, it makes good sense that when a moderator removes a post for spam that it would be removed from both nodes. But what about other cases? Lemmy is a bit blunt and nuance-lacking in this regard.

For example, the parent of this thread was censored despite not breaking any rules. More importantly, it breaks no rules on slrpnk.net. Yet the slrpnk version was also removed.

I’m not sure exactly what the fix is. But in principle an author should be able to ask a slrpnk admin to restore the post in the slrpnk version of that community, so long as no slrpnk rules are broken by the post.

It’s one thing for various nodes to federate based on having compatible side-wide rules, but they aren’t necessarily aligned 100% and there are also rogue moderators who apply a different set of rules than what’s prescribed for a community.

1
nlemmy.nl is down -- and this may be a good thing (slrpnk.net)
submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by activistPnk@slrpnk.net to c/isitdown@infosec.pub
0 comments fedilink
 

It’s probably a good thing to find that nlemmy.nl is down, considering the parent of this thread was censored despite not breaking any rules.

(update) the moderator just admitted the removal was to silence an idea that clashes with the moderator’s anti-cash / pro-forced-banking view. So it was not a good place for open civil discussion.. just a black hole for msgs that oppose the mod’s world view.

2
(Netherlands) What happens when you can’t pay your tab at a bar because cash is refused? (slrpnk.net)
 

cross-posted from: https://slrpnk.net/post/11153742

In a Dutch bar I ordered a few samples (which have no cost and were somewhat generous in size) and drank part way through them all. Then I ordered a full sized beer. I continued working on the samples.

Bartender asked if I wanted to pay now or start a tab. I asked if they accept cash. It feels silly to ask and I almost didn’t ask because the answer is always “yes”, of course. So I was shocked when the bartender said no.

WTF? Surely there would be enough customers who are wise enough to foresee possible consequences of having electronic records of alcohol consumption. It can only work against you, e.g. when the bank, data brokers, and insurance companies see an opportunity to collude and optimise your your insurance premiums using that info.

The GDPR would theoretically protect Europeans from that but bars are open to tourists -- non-Europeans with non-European bank accounts. I mentioned that to the bartender, who said “what’s the GDPR?” Wow. I was shocked again.

I made it clear that electronic payment doesn’t work for me (most especially when alcohol, tobacco, or marijuana are involved). I said: can someone pay with their own account and take my cash? Bartender asked if I have exact change. No, I didn’t but I got close enough that the bartender was able to use the tip jar to give me change.

I later noticed that the menu book (1st page after the cover) says “cash not accepted”. But I initially missed that because I ordered off the posted board. And there’s no guarantee anyway that a customer would see the first page. I often flip straight to the last page to look for drinks. When I left the bar I had a look at the entrance and door. There was no cash-hostile signage like some other shops have.

Questions for Dutch folks:

If the bar had been less reasonable, less flexible, how else might this have played out? I did not sip from the full beer before the conversation, so I suppose the bar could have just treated it like an erroneous beer pour and pour it down the drain.

Suppose I had not thought to ask if cash was accepted. What if I drank the beer and then my cash were refused with both sides standing their ground? There is a practical problem here not just a legal one. The hundreds worth of banknotes in my pocket would be worthless. So would it be no different than the situation of a deadbeat debtor who simply does not pay? Would I be cited and fined? Would I have the option to leave the bar with an invoice to pay by bank transfer, perhaps using the post office? Would I have to leave collateral such as an ID card while running the errand? And what if it’s Sunday or after hours of the post office?

What about the case where someone enters with bank card(s) that are in a broken state, unknown to the card holder? I’ve been in grocery store lines where a customer tries all their cards. Often the last card they try works but I’ve seen a case where someone had to leave all their groceries. I’ve been in situations where a card in good standing is refused for being foreign (despite the rules of the card network). Are these situations legally any different than someone who simply has no cards to pay with?

There is a very wise “EU Recommendation” that cash be accepted on payments towards debts specifically (not necessarily points of sale). I believe if you have a bar/restaurant tab that would be a /debt/, not a /point of sale/. But what are EU recommendations good for? Is it just to guide lawmakers, or is there some courtroom value when national policy deviates from the recommendation?

FWIW, this thread is where I learned that cash acceptance is optional in Netherlands. The original post was censored but that cross-post mirrors it.

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