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Comment by lockhouse

3 years ago

I’ve seen a lot of crazy conspiracy theories reveal themselves to be true in the past five years.

Apply some critical thinking on this. Governments and corporate elites worldwide are salivating over the level of surveillance and control that a CBDC will enable.

Possibly so, but an instant payment system is not a CBDC, and I don't see how keeping bank account transfers slow/impossible to initiate for individuals (as seems to be the case for ACH credit transfers) would help against pervasive government surveillance.

ACH and even check clearing are already largely performed by the Fed today!

Which crazy conspiracy theories are you referring to? I am applying some critical thinking here.

  • The NSA monitoring any and all electronic communications (foreign and domestic) that they can get their hands on, without a warrant.

    The federal government cutting off financial services for legal but disliked industries such as the gun industry (see the Obama admin's Operation Chokepoint).

    The Canadian government freezing the bank accounts of those who supported the trucker protest.

    Not directly related to finances or electronic surveillance, but some government fuckery greatest hits that actually happened:

    - Kidnapping hobos and force feeding them LSD

    - Intentionally infecting people (mostly black) with syphilis

    - Feeding irradiated oatmeal to mentally handicapped children

    - Obama personally ordering the execution of an American citizen without trial and having the military carry it out (and killing the target's 16-year old American citizen son as well)

    • > The NSA monitoring any and all electronic communications (foreign and domestic) ...

      Not revealed in the last 5 years.

      > The federal government cutting off financial services for ...

      Not revealed in the last 5 years. Was this subject of an actual conspiracy theory?

      > The Canadian government freezing the bank accounts of those who supported the trucker protest.

      At least this is within 5 years. I can't judge if this was an actual conspiracy theory or not ( I don't think so ).

      > - Kidnapping hobos and force feeding them LSD

      > - Intentionally infecting people (mostly black) with syphilis

      > - Feeding irradiated oatmeal to mentally handicapped children

      > - Obama personally ordering the execution of an American citizen ...

      All of those AFAIK not revealed in the last 5 years.

      7 replies →

> I’ve seen a lot of crazy conspiracy theories reveal themselves to be true in the past five years.

Such as what?

>Apply some critical thinking on this. Governments and corporate elites worldwide are salivating over the level of surveillance and control that a CBDC will enable.

How is this any different from the current system? Your cash is 99% digital anyway with basically every transaction completely monitor-able to the Feds under the right circumstances. Don't see how this situation would change much.

  • The principle difference is that CBDC is programmable rather than just digital. We aren't expressing concerns over a digital currency, but rather the degree to which a nefarious govt will have control over it.