Advantages and disadvantages of payment apps

In the last decades we have seen an exponential increase in the presence of technology in our daily lifes. Nowadays, we carry in our pockets phones with more processing capacity than any computer commercially available forty years ago, for example. The internet reduced distances and allowed the world to become a gigantic market and, as a consequence, the way we deal with money is being transformed. Being able to pay for your food, your electric bill and to buy tickets for a concert just by acessing an app in your phone is certainly a relief for many people. It is easy, and some would even say that it is safe. During the Covid pandemic, specially, one would argue that it is an essential tool to avoid uncessary exposure to the virus. These kind of apps even help people to have a better and organized financial record, allowing them to clearly see where and with what their money is being spent. On the other hand, despite all the laws and information safety protocols created to protect users, hackers still manage to find ways to steal data and personal information. Well, not only hackers. It is a well known fact that big companies access and sell their users informations for profit. One example that comes to mind is Facebook. Not long ago, their CEO had to testify in the American Senate for accusations of unauthorized use of their clients e-mails, phone numbers and preferences. In consequence, many people feel unsafe to do financial transactions through their phones, fearing loss of money or identity theft, as well. In face of these ideas, besides the safety issues that must be solved in order to ensure that payment apps are completely safe, they still are better than the waiting hours in bank lines and, certainly, in this moment, are an alternative to avoid Covid trasmission.