5 ms·

I wonder how well you could track cash if you wanted to. ATMs could OCR and log the serial numbers of bills they dispense, and they obviously know who they're

I wonder how well you could track cash if you wanted to. ATMs could OCR and log the serial numbers of bills they dispense, and they obviously know who they're dispensing to. Banks could do the same with incoming cash at the end of the business day. The tracking would be weaker than with electronic payments since some notes will be re-used after being given as change, but it'd still be useful to a government that wants to track its population.

psadri 8y ago
I wonder what would happen if you took a black marker to the serial numbers? Perhaps modern bills have other means of encoding their serial numbers.
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
- liveoneggs 8y ago
  they are probably printed with special inks, requiring a special marker to fool magnetic-scanning or somesuch. It would also be easy to reject the validity/authenticity of paper money with an illegible serial number.
icebraining 8y ago
They could require commercial POS systems to include that too.
personlurking 8y ago
An old site for tracking where your dollar came from and where it has been since it left your hands. https://www.wheresgeorge.com https://www.wheresgeorge.com Example: https://www.wheresgeorge.com/b:QZHjxdYnJ&entry=16 https://www.wheresgeorge.com/b:QZHjxdYnJ&entry=16
brohee 8y ago
It is somewhat tracked, new bills fresh from an ATM have been used to help catch a serial killer in England. The banknote recovered was passed to the Bank of England, who were asked to trace where it was issued. Detectives learnt it had been sent from its printing works to the Leeds branch of the Bank of England, just a few days before the murder. https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/yorkshire-ripper-peter-sutcliffe-manchester-14385884 https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manches...
liveoneggs 8y ago
recording of your face during all transactions + receipts would roughly duplicate the card-level tracking. Most paper money has a serial number that could be tracked for following the chain-of-possession for that piece of paper. In the case of Germany I can see a law being written that would require serial numbers be recorded for person-to-person cash exchange. Those guys love regulation. :)
wolfgke 8y ago
> ATMs could OCR and log the serial numbers of bills they dispense, and they obviously know who they're dispensing to. Indeed this is an issue that bothers me since some years. We should indeed think about ways to "reanonymize" the cash (even) more.
- petre 8y ago
  Exchange it with third parties the same way we change currency with family members to avoid fees.
  - wolfgke 8y ago
    I already thought about that idea. I am not sure, though, whether this "randomizes" the banknotes sufficiently to avoid more advanced tracking algorithms, since the banknotes stay in your social circle.
    - petre 8y ago
      You can exchange with strangers but then you'd have to use an UV lamp to check the banknotes for fakes.

psadri 8y ago

I wonder what would happen if you took a black marker to the serial numbers? Perhaps modern bills have other means of encoding their serial numbers.

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
liveoneggs 8y ago
they are probably printed with special inks, requiring a special marker to fool magnetic-scanning or somesuch. It would also be easy to reject the validity/authenticity of paper money with an illegible serial number.

icebraining 8y ago

They could require commercial POS systems to include that too.

personlurking 8y ago

An old site for tracking where your dollar came from and where it has been since it left your hands. https://www.wheresgeorge.com https://www.wheresgeorge.com Example: https://www.wheresgeorge.com/b:QZHjxdYnJ&entry=16 https://www.wheresgeorge.com/b:QZHjxdYnJ&entry=16

brohee 8y ago

It is somewhat tracked, new bills fresh from an ATM have been used to help catch a serial killer in England. The banknote recovered was passed to the Bank of England, who were asked to trace where it was issued. Detectives learnt it had been sent from its printing works to the Leeds branch of the Bank of England, just a few days before the murder. https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/yorkshire-ripper-peter-sutcliffe-manchester-14385884 https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manches...

liveoneggs 8y ago

recording of your face during all transactions + receipts would roughly duplicate the card-level tracking. Most paper money has a serial number that could be tracked for following the chain-of-possession for that piece of paper. In the case of Germany I can see a law being written that would require serial numbers be recorded for person-to-person cash exchange. Those guys love regulation. :)

wolfgke 8y ago

> ATMs could OCR and log the serial numbers of bills they dispense, and they obviously know who they're dispensing to. Indeed this is an issue that bothers me since some years. We should indeed think about ways to "reanonymize" the cash (even) more.

petre 8y ago
Exchange it with third parties the same way we change currency with family members to avoid fees.
- wolfgke 8y ago
  I already thought about that idea. I am not sure, though, whether this "randomizes" the banknotes sufficiently to avoid more advanced tracking algorithms, since the banknotes stay in your social circle.
  - petre 8y ago
    You can exchange with strangers but then you'd have to use an UV lamp to check the banknotes for fakes.