[siruncledrew]

What pissed me off is the "opt-out" approach to public transactions Venmo takes. As a first time user, it's fairly easy to not see the transaction is going to be public (and the privacy button is small and tucked away in a corner).

Venmo just makes me paranoid about transactions. I want to make sure I am paying the right person (hard to tell sometimes when searching for a friend). I also don't want other people to see my transaction AMOUNT most importantly (seems like an easy way for a criminal/fraudster to target people with lots of money). Further, once you hit send, there is basically no recourse in stopping the transaction (which is why scammers use Venmo, since Venmo support basically says "your problem, not mine").

Other people may have different experiences and perfectly enjoy the app, but this steered me clear of it.

[johnbrodie]

I just created a Venmo account today, since I'm going to a class that requires payment via Venmo or cash, and I have no cash. They had a few screens at initial sign in that went over public vs private, and let you set it right there, although they advised leaving everything public. So at least they are making it easy to change for a first time user now that this news has come out.

[crush_xc]

You can't see the amount on any feed except the me tab