I usually only write about photography here, but this week I stumbled onto an eye-opening story for USA TODAY that I'd love to share.

I had my phone monitored by a security firm. It found that when I paid my personal trainer this week, Venmo shipped off my GPS location (home address) and contact (the trainer's full name) to a data collection firm called Braze.

Some big questions: Venmo parent PayPal refused to tell me why it shipped off my data and what Braze plans to do with it. Braze responded to me, but also wouldn't tell me how it will be using my info.

I'm an open book and easy to find. If you want my home address, trust me, it ain't hard.

But I didn't sign up with Venmo to have my personal info sent to companies like Braze.

I'm recommending we don't use Venmo anymore and find a better alternative.

What are your choices folks?

Venmo did what with my data? My location was shared when I paid with the appA routine monitor of my phone found many disturbing, un-disclosed trackings by big companies, who shared it with third party data marketing firms.www.usatoday.com

I thought your update was equally interesting. The response from Braze was quite Orwellian.

Braze “takes the security and privacy of its customers’ data very seriously and discloses, in compliance with applicable privacy law, how it processes data,” the company says. “We give our customers total and absolute control over what data they share with Braze, and we only collect first-party data.”

We reminded Braze spokeswoman Hannah Blackington that at no time was the company given authority to take my data. 

She clarified: “The use of the word 'customer' in our statement refers to brands (Braze customers) not consumers.”

More here 👇

Data privacy: Why Venmo sent my personal info - and yours - to BrazeData firm Braze says it respects customer privacy, but we aren't their customers.www.usatoday.com

Tagging @JazliAziz

I don't think I ever knew what Venmo is. Another social network?

Thanks Stephen. It was quite the weekend, juggling the "statement" from Braze and trying to translate it into English.

Venmo is an app to pay people through your phone, a division of PayPal.

Heard about app described below on way home today - not sure if it’s any good ??

App Tells You Who's Collecting Your Data and WhyFind out what internet of things devices around you may be tracking you.www.nextgov.com

Oh my God, Jefferson. Great reporting. We seriously need investigative journalism like this. @jpop

I kinda get the feeling that we're starting to get over the hump of abuses like this. General population is getting sensitive to it, media are starting to catch up. Not only that, but smartphone vendors are getting in on the privacy game. Latest iOS can limit collection of location data per request, next version of Android will have that too. Pretty soon, the legislation will catch up too (hopefully, not over-reacting or acting out of ignorance like they are prone to). The time when you could get away with anything is drawing to a close.