this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2023
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Banks hit with $549 million in fines for use of Signal, WhatsApp to evade regulators’ reach::Wells Fargo, a relatively small player on Wall Street, racked up the most fines Tuesday, with a total of $200 million in penalties.

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[–] mojo@lemm.ee 182 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Private speech is never the problem and should absolutely be encouraged as a human right. The problem here is them avoiding regulators and should get fucked for that alone, that's the crime here. Signal and Whatsapp should not be mentioned at all and this is an attempt to push "encryption bad" narrative.

[–] treadful@lemmy.zip 45 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah, the issue is evading records keeping requirements. The issue is not encrypted communications.

These articles make me pucker my asshole. Like it could be that thing that sends us down that slippery slope.

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[–] flumph@programming.dev 34 points 1 year ago

I worked at a firm that was regulated and audited by the SEC. The standard lesson from the compliance department was always to have potentially problematic conversations out loud instead of in email or Slack. They never needed encryption to avoid regulators.

[–] cyberpunk007@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago

Never considered this angle but you're right.

[–] broguy89@lemm.ee 14 points 1 year ago

I see this as a "yes, Signal is secure, look, they used it and are getting away with it too" narrative.

[–] hackitfast@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

I thought about that already. It's absolutely intentional, because you already know that they'll keep using those apps, and even if they were illegal, they would keep using them and just get another fine, which is obviously not something that bothers them. It's to prevent normal people from having any privacy.

[–] db2@sopuli.xyz 94 points 1 year ago (4 children)

It's cost if doing business for them though, the "fines" are a farce, just protection money paid to a gang.

[–] FuglyDuck@lemmy.world 50 points 1 year ago (10 children)

they really need to start with forfeiting all profits. and then maybe a percentage-based fine on top of that.

make it really painful, in the only place these people can be hurt.

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago

They need to start throwing these criminal fucks in prison.

[–] db2@sopuli.xyz 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

They'll just pass it along to the customers though, that would have to be made very illegal first.. and even then they'd probably do it anyway and blame it on the tellers. In the sea of illegal things Wells Fargo has already done that wouldn't even make a ripple.

[–] Kecessa@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 year ago

Can't pass anything to the customer if your business got closed by the authorities.

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[–] SatanicNotMessianic@lemmy.ml 30 points 1 year ago

I feel like they need to apply charges like conspiracy and fraud against the individuals responsible. When I worked in national security oriented roles, the standard response when being asked to break the law (eg reveal classified info) was to say “I could do that, but I look really bad in orange.”

If the individuals being asked to commit violations and crimes were held individually responsible more often, people would be less likely to do it.

White collar crime costs the economy far more than other kinds of crime, and that’s due to a lack of enforcement caused by misaligned priorities.

[–] overzeetop@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The obvious first step is revocation and personal barring for life every single person who participated in the communication from holding a SEC license. The second is jail time for anyone who did it willfully. The third is revocation of their corporation or, in the interest of stockholders who are about to become personally liable, a 50 year probationary period in which revocation of corporation is automatic should any other infraction come to light.

[–] db2@sopuli.xyz 3 points 1 year ago

But since the wolves are minding the hen house that'll never happen.. it'll take French tactics.

[–] demonquark@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Fines as a percentage of revenue. A big percentage. That’ll stop this nonsense.

[–] overzeetop@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Revocation of corporate status. A corporation is a status set out in US law. No corporate status, no legal protection for officers or shareholders. All liability falls personally and directly on the owners.

[–] SwingingTheLamp@midwest.social 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Yeah, seriously, why do people forget this so easily? THE GOVERNMENT GRANTS SPECIAL PRIVILEGES TO CORPORATIONS. Any stipulations, limitations, or exceptions are absolutely fair game. Ideally, we grant corporate charters to promote commerce and benefit society. Nobody has a right to a corporate charter, so if a corporation is harming us, we should terminate it like the pregnancy of a Republican's mistress.

[–] ultratiem@lemmy.ca 41 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And made $5 billion on the deal. I imagine it’s like “oh right, now we have to pay off the regulators, I mean the fine.”

[–] Oneobi@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Its a shit show. Staff can't event send a text saying they are sick unless they use an approved business communication channel.

Worst still, if you receive said comms from staff on a non approved channel, eg your personal phone, you have to report it to HR.

There is no way bank's can operate like that so the regulator is going to be lining their pockets for quite some time.

[–] cunning_bolt@lemmy.world 32 points 1 year ago

These really need to be reported as percentage of revenue. It's really not that much for them.

[–] anon_water@lemmy.ml 26 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It’s always Wells Fargo with the law breaking.

[–] Skyrmir@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

It's the American version of HSBC

[–] Mojojojo1993@lemmy.world 25 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Oh no. In other news banks keep breaking the law and using our money to pay fines.

Remove banks. Leach on society that provide nothing. Yet they are the reason we can't frolic in the meadows.

[–] broguy89@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Crypto has been in existence for a while.

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[–] mountainman131@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago

Of course it's Wells Fargo!

[–] Etterra@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

That isn't a fine. That's the cutest if doing business to these assholes. I keep saying it, fines need to be calculated on a logarithmic scale based on income and net assets. That goes for everything from a speeding ticket to wire fraud - literally every crime with a fine as punishment.

[–] NeoNachtwaechter@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Don't need no logarithm :-)

Just 1% of their worldwide year's revenue for each day when the offence is/was happening.

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[–] AndreyAsimow@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It is finally time for FOSS banks

[–] CookieJarObserver@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Nah. FOSS MONEY!

Cookie Coins!

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[–] plebonix@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Quantum computers accessible only to the rich and powerful can't get here soon enough..

[–] snek_boi@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Are you saying that quantum computers could help the rich encrypt their communications better?

[–] Beliriel@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Haha the only thing a quantum channel does is verifying if a message has been altered (looking at a message alters it).
Actual encryption that prevents the Shor algorithm from having a linear running time have been around for quite some time now and can be easily run on normal machines. NIST is just taking its sweet time to decide on one.

[–] shadowspirit@geddit.social 6 points 1 year ago

We know most banks are scummy but Wells Fargo takes the cake. That bank is always wrapped up in some BS. If WAMU can fail we should go ahead and let Wells Fargo become extinct.

[–] Reborn2966@feddit.it 6 points 1 year ago (2 children)

how do i summon the auto tldr bot?

[–] Deiv@lemmy.ca 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

U.S. regulators on Tuesday announced a combined $549 million in penalties against Wall Street firms that failed to maintain electronic records of employee communications.

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced charges against 11 firms for “widespread and longstanding failures” to maintain records, including by allowing employees to use unsupervised side channels such as messaging apps WhatsApp and Signal, the regulator said.

Wells Fargo was the biggest U.S. bank cited Tuesday in the sweeping actions.

beep boop, I'm not a bot

[–] LilPappyWigwam@lemm.ee 10 points 1 year ago

Good nonbot

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[–] yoz@aussie.zone 5 points 1 year ago

Chump change for banks. Cost of doing business already sitting with the accounts team.

[–] LEDZeppelin@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

That’s chump change

[–] walnutwalrus@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

bank attack on encryption?

[–] Clav64@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago

The banks have heavily invested in a cross platform chat app that's (in its own words) bridging the gap.

https://symphony.com/insights/blog/tech4fin/symphony-and-solving-the-off-channel-communication-conundrum/

Just wait for the consumer version ready to be pushed by governments.

[–] MdRuckus@lemdro.id 1 points 1 year ago

Good. Bastards.

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