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It can be a real pain to regain access to banking and shopping accounts on a new device after a smartphone has been lost or stolen. Without a device ID, SIM card or backup codes from an authenticator app to verify identity, it can take several days until the account owner is finally let back into their mobile accounts.

WhatsApp is estimated to be used by 1.5 billion people worldwide and one of the most important markets for the app is Brazil, where the app is used by 99% of the population. The recent news that the app would offer a peer-to-peer money transfer feature in Brazil was unquestionably, groundbreaking. Especially since Brazil is a country with 45 million economically active people, with one third of the population, without a bank account. The news was however short lived, since recently, the Central Bank of Brazil suspended WhatsApp as a payment method.

The most profound technologies are those that disappear. They weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it. 

– Mark Weiser, The Computer for the 21st Century

With the widespread use of location technology by apps, we are becoming increasingly accustomed to the benefits of location-based services, including real-time navigation, ride hailing, and food-delivery. Google Maps, Uber and GrubHub are just some of the go-to apps that are making our lives easier and more convenient. But collecting, storing and working with location data raises important considerations regarding user privacy that need to be addressed.