This is kind of a breathless report from some guy on Facebook...so not exactly reputable, yet I do think he's right to point this out and be a little worked up about it.
We are making these little steps towards more and more surveillance, more and more control. You can barely interact with the economy without heavy reliance on banking third parties at this point. They know it, and the requirements they levy on us are closer to laws than individual policies enacted by different banks.
NZ Banks Have Quietly Installed Mandatory Spyware Into Online Banking. This is NOT a joke. This is NOT speculation. This is straight from their own websites. New Zealand’s biggest banks — ANZ, BNZ, and Westpac — have now implemented mandatory behavioural and device-level surveillance as a REQUIREMENT for online and mobile banking. Not optional. Not for “improving security.” Not “only if you agree.” Mandatory.Here’s what they now demand access to: 🔻 Your typing patterns 🔻 Your scrolling and swiping behaviour 🔻 Your mouse movements 🔻 Your device motion, tilt, and handling 🔻 Your connected devices (Bluetooth, USB, etc.) 🔻 Whether your phone is currently on a call 🔻 Your full device metadata 🔻 Your behavioural biometrics (unique to YOU) 🔻 BNZ even scans your INSTALLED APPS (on Android) 🔻 Sensor and peripheral data Yep. NZ banks now decide how you must use your device to “qualify” for banking access. And here’s the part that should terrify every Kiwi: ANZ & BNZ both explicitly state you CANNOT use internet banking or their mobile apps unless you consent to all of this.Meaning:
No consent? No access to your own money. This is NOT fraud prevention. This is forced surveillance as a condition of modern banking.💥 Direct Quotes (from their public pages): ANZ:“You won’t be able to use goMoney or Internet Banking without having this data collected.” https://www.anz.co.nz/.../fraud.../collect-information/ BNZ: “We collect sensor and peripheral data, installed apps, and behavioural biometric information…” “If you don’t provide this information, we may not be able to offer you services in our digital channels.” https://www.bnz.co.nz/.../using-behaviour-to-recognise... This is the textbook definition of spyware — except now your bank requires it.🧠 The implications: Banks are building behavioural fingerprints of every customer They can detect when you’re on a phone call They know what devices you connect BNZ knows what apps you install They can track every gesture and movement you make inside the banking app Data is shared with third-party “security partners” offshore Once the permissions exist, nothing stops them from expanding usage later This quietly lays the groundwork for CBDC and digital identity surveillance We are not talking about “your bank tracks your transactions.” We’re talking about your bank tracks YOU. How you hold your device. How you type. How you move. Who you’re connected to. And what’s on your phone.😡 And the worst part? ASB, Kiwibank, TSB, Co-op, and the credit unions aren’t doing this yet… …but NONE of them have publicly stated that they WON’T. Three of the big banks have already moved. The rest will follow unless this goes public and people push back.🔥 This is the biggest banking privacy breach NZ has ever seen. No public debate. No media coverage. No opt-out. No consent. Just: “Give us full surveillance access to your device — or lose digital banking.” I’m sounding the alarm now. Share this. Send it to everyone you know. Post it in every group. Make as much noise as possible. This crosses a line that should NEVER have been crossed. If you want the full breakdown (bank-by-bank list of who is spying and who isn’t), DM me or comment — I’ve got everything documented.