cross-posted from: https://links.hackliberty.org/post/2932106
Image Transcription:
WHAT WILL A CASHLESS SOCIETY MEAN?
THE PROS
CONVENIENCE — THERE WILL NO LONGER BE ANY NEED TO CARRY CASH AROUND
THE CONS
EVERY TRANSACTION YOU MAKE WILL BE TRACKED YOUR SPENDING HABITS CAN BE LINKED TO YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT
YOU WILL ONLY BE PERMITTED TO SPEND ON THINGS THE GOVERNMENT APPROVES OF. THINGS THAT ARE DEEMED TO BE LUXURIES — MEAT, FUEL, TRAVEL — CAN BE RESTRICTED
YOUR MONEY CAN BE PROGRAMMED WITH AN EXPIRY DATE — IF YOU DON’T SPEND IT BY A CERTAIN DATE, YOU'LL LOSE IT
THERE WILL BE NO ‘BLACK’ ECONOMY. IT WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE TO AVOID TAX, BUT THEN YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GIVE POCKET MONEY TO CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN AND NEITHER WILL YOU BE ABLE TO BORROW OR LEND MONEY TO FRIENDS WITHOUT THAT BEING TAXED BY THE GOVERNMENT
PARKING AND SPEEDING FINES WILL BE TAKEN AT SOURCE, WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF CHALLENGE AND POSSIBLY EVEN WITHOUT YOUR KNOWLEDGE
IF YOU PROTEST THE ACTIONS OF THE GOVERNMENT, YOUR MONEY CAN BE SWITCHED OFF. IF YOU THINK THAT’S UNLIKELY, IT’S ALREADY HAPPENED TO TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CANADIANS WHEN THEY PROTESTED AND IT ALSO HAPPENED TO A BRITISH JOURNALIST
A CASHLESS SOCIETY MEANS THE END OF HUMAN FREEDOM
IF YOU WANT THAT, DO NOTHING
IF YOU DON'T, THE FIRST THING YOU MUST DO IS RESPOND TO THE GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSAL ON DIGITAL ID, UPON WHICH A CASHLESS SOCIETY MUST BE BASED
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/draft-legislation-to-help-more-people-prove-their- identity-online/consultation-on-draft-legislation-to-support-identity-verificat
Image Credit: Brett Scott
I don't think so. I think they want to say that the restrictions can (and will) become "personalized". You can't buy this because you are like that, this costs more for you, etc.
you can still buy them. and when something is illegal, that unfortunately does not always mean that it's harmful or otherwise bad
equally so for everyone
it is a waste of time to track that because it's manual work for relatively little gains. without cash it will be automated and much easier to tax that too. whether they want it is another question, but it wouldn't be a waste of time anymore
which part do you mean? you might not be able to challenge it if it turns out as a system like google or facebook, where there are no human support personnel to be contact you might not be able to know it happened if you are not notified, and you're just supposed to see it in a transaction history. maybe the writer was thinking about something else, though, because that's already the case with bank accounts.
How fortunate. That doesn't look like to be the case for too long, though, and that's why we are in this comment sectioat
how would they do that? in my understanding, they can't disable your (physical, to be clear) cash, because the notes are almost indistinguishable (almost because of the serial number, however nobody looks at that), and not programmable either
surveillance alters people's decisions, even of good persons who should have no reason for fear
that only worksif you don't do anytanything against it for yourself. honestly, this phrase sounds pretty defeatist, while that's not warranted.
nobody needs a warrant for buying data
Technically china level surveillance isn't the end of the world either, neither were communist dictatorships in eastern Europe.
I wouldn't want to live in such a world, however
I think I didn't say the right thing when I wrote it isn't the end of the world. Because I agree that level of control and surveillance is BAD. I really meant to communicate that it isn't a future doomer scenario. It's the world we live in RIGHT NOW. And if you don't like that, it's not just cashless society that should concern you. It's not something we can prevent. It's something we have to undo.