> As I understand it, German obsession with privacy and cash stems largely from WW2. Information that the government had about its citizens were used to round u

> As I understand it, German obsession with privacy and cash stems largely from WW2. Information that the government had about its citizens were used to round up Jews to put them in ghettos and concentration camps. The Stasi (state security service) also spied a lot on the citizens. Do not forget that the GDR only ceased to exist in 1990.