Following yesterday’s report that CVS and Rite Aid were first blocking Apple Pay then all NFC-based payments in favor of their own yet to be launched mobile payment system, consumers angry at both pharmacy chains have decided to fight back by finding the CurrentC app on the iTunes App Store and Google Play respectively to download and leave scathing reviews of the app in droves to protest the blockage of NFC-based payment options at the aforementioned retailers in favor of the aforementioned platform, which will not launch until sometime next year nationwide and is currently in an invite-only beta.
A snapshot of CurrentC app data collection policies which ranges from device, location and transaction data, all the way to health and medical data
With irate consumers already flaying the upcoming service for the lack of consumer fraud protection in comparison to NFC-based payment alternatives due to the reliance on checking account details, the probabilities of CurrentC being successfully launched are minimal, and have no immediate hope of recovering, as the Terms of Service for the platform also details the need for other sensitive identifying information such as a State ID/Drivers License number and Social Security number along with the aforementioned checking account information in order to fully use the platform and service as intended by those retailers involved in its rollout and development.
With the recent spate of retail data breaches in the wider media as of late and some breaches also affecting participants in the MCX working group behind CurrentC, it’s going to take a lot of work by these companies to sell their payment platform as a viable and more convenient alternative to NFC payments and credit cards in general and so far, the reception has been negative.
