We should have the ability to run any code we want on hardware we own

What’s the alternative? The bank sending out a debit card to anyone who calls up and says “I’m @kristov, trust me…”

You were not able to served by the standard path, because you couldn’t authenticate yourself via the standard mechanism. You still got service by an alternate path. No different from opting out of the airport scanner; it takes longer and is a little less convenient, but you still get service.

Are you under the impression that this wasn't a solved problem for the half-century before "apps?"

Yes, there was some tiny fraction of fraud, but it's not like adding all these layers upon layers of technology has fixed anything. The difference is that instead of getting ripped off by one of the people in your own town, anyone anywhere on the planet can rip you off now.

slightly OT, but where can you opt out of the scanner?

Every time I've tried they told me I won't be allowed through security unless I subject myself to the scanner, despite me protesting that they can search me however else they please.

That's exactly the point: there's an easy and common method that many people choose to use, but there is still a perfectly working method for people who choose to not use apple or google.

That is domestic US airports plus airports like Toronto and Dublin where you, for practical purposes, clear into the US on foreign soil and land in the US as a domestic flight.

* - I think this only doesn't apply if your boarding pass got tagged with the dreaded "SSSS" enhanced screening tag, but that's a fairly rare corner case for most passengers.

"Can you believe that I had to prove my identity to the support group in charge of requesting replacement cards in order to get a replacement card?!"

"Uh, yeah, that makes total sense; what part of this tale of woe is surprising or interesting?"

https://www.kiplinger.com/personal-finance/banking/is-your-l...

> Since 2020, the rate of bank branch closures in the U.S. has doubled. The majority of those closures come from large and very large banks, contributing to an overall 5.6% decline in total bank branches nationwide since the start of the pandemic.

Please, don't be so obtuse just for the sake of argument. Any rational, well-informed person can wee where this is going.

That's an example of how the banks are continuing to accommodate customer preference, not the other way around. As to "where this is going", ATMs and debit cards are nearly pervasive and, yet almost 60 years after their introduction, I can still choose to bank with a teller if I insist on not having a debit card.

You can opt out of the millimeter wave radar.

Opting out means you go through a metal detector, a 20-second pat-down and perhaps a hand swab for explosives sniffer.

If you have SSSS on your boarding card, that means the pat-down, hand swab and digging through your carry-on luggage happen whether you opt out of the mmwave or not.

From the TSA website, https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/factsheets/technology , "Most passengers have the opportunity to decline AIT screening in favor of physical screening. However, some passengers will not be able to opt out of AIT screening if their boarding pass indicates that they have been selected for enhanced screening."