this post was submitted on 07 Aug 2025
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Privacy

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Are there any FOSS alternatives to privacy.com? I want to conceal my actual card information when registering with a new account on different platforms so I can create limits, but I can't shake the feeling that privacy.com probably just sells my transaction history. If there's any alternatives to privacy.com that are more transparent, I'd love to know!

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[–] 0x0@lemmy.zip 23 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Sure, Monero, otherwise you have to use payment processors and they'll KYC you to the moon and back because Think of the children™.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 9 points 2 days ago (1 children)

even privacy.com will KYC you

[–] grey_maniac@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 days ago (2 children)
[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 13 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Know. Your. Customer. Basically they verify your identity before providing you with any services. It's a common phrase in the crypto space.

[–] frongt@lemmy.zip 14 points 2 days ago

It's not a cryptocurrency term, it's finance.

[–] grey_maniac@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I assume you mean the cryptocurrency space? I haven't encountered in the cryptography space.

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org -1 points 2 days ago

Yes, "crypto" typically refers to cryptocurrency, not cryptography, in my experience.

[–] umbrella@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 days ago (2 children)

that implies you can use crypto without being identified at any step of the way? is that even possible when the service at the other end doesn't accept crypto?

[–] Ulrich@feddit.org 5 points 2 days ago

Crypto does not require any services. But if the person you're trying to send to doesn't accept crypto then you can't send it.

that implies you can use crypto without being identified at any step of the way?

...no? It just means that they don't necessarily know every little detail about you before you start using their service. What comes afterwards is up to whoever wants to track you. Most crypto currencies are pseudo anonymous at best.

[–] ExperimentalGuy@programming.dev 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] grey_maniac@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 days ago
[–] pound_heap@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 points 2 days ago

I'd love to have that, but such a service has to comply with government regulations and payment systems requirements in order to issue virtual cards that are generally accepted. I can imagine a company that would open source their code, but what benefit would it be for you? You can't self-host it and you cannot audit their infrastructure to confirm they run exactly the same code they publish... You want trustless finances - go crypto and say goodbye to convenience and wide acceptance.

Otherwise, you have to trust a middleman. And if we are talking about trust, privacy.com looks trustworthy. They have paid plans, so it doesn't look like selling clients data is their business model. They clearly say they don't sell users data in their privacy policy, which makes them a potential target for lawsuit if they caught lying. They haven't been caught on anything nasty. Good enough for me. You do you.

[–] MangoPenguin@lemmy.blahaj.zone 13 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

Agreements with payment processors are needed to process payments on platforms like that, so it's not a feasible thing for a small open source project to pull off IMO.

If you just want limits on virtual cards, some credit cards have that built in already without needing a third party involved, Citi for example.

[–] ExperimentalGuy@programming.dev 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I'm mostly seeing if I can obfuscate my card details - the card limit is more of a nice feature but not needed

They do that too, because they generate a unique virtual card number each time.

[–] gil2455526@lemmy.eco.br 1 points 1 day ago

Fun fact, privacy.com.br is an OnlyFans competitor in Brazil.

[–] AnnaFrankfurter@lemmy.ml 9 points 2 days ago

Other than crypto or cash based prepaid debit cards. There is no other service that will allow you to do financial transactions without doing basic KYC and keeping a record of your transactions required by law in almost all countries. They may claim it's for legal reasons only and they don't sell it but can you trust them? And how much do you trust your government to respect your privacy and not subpoena those transactions because they deem them to be unlawful.

[–] LemmyThinkAboutThat@lemmy.myserv.one 6 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Call your credit card company. Depending on the company/bank, they will either give you a few virtual numbers and/or have the option of having one virtual number locked to a certain merchant or utility company.

~~There’s MySudo (which I subscribe to) but they charge 3%. It’s basically the same as using Privacy.com.~~ Good luck!

EDIT MySudo is not open-source, sorry.