3 ms·

How is an electronic record of a transaction any worse then being filmed by multiple cameras as you walked in to buy that bread? In my country, a warrant is re

How is an electronic record of a transaction any worse then being filmed by multiple cameras as you walked in to buy that bread? In my country, a warrant is required to access both sources of data.

dcposch 4y ago
It's an exceptionally flexible and convenient method of control. Earlier this year, donors to the truck convey protest in Canada had their bank accounts frozen. This wasn't a targeted list of "these 37 people have broken a law"--rather, it was a broad mandate to freeze accounts assocated with the protests, operationalized a bit differently by each bank. In a society where most businesses don't take cash anymore, this turnkey coercive capability becomes more airtight. The frog will boil slowly. A few years ago, all US payment processors blocked donations to Wikileaks, after they reported on war crimes in Iraq. Today, most people still think of digital money in the same way as physical cash; in reality, every transaction is a request for permission, with fraud heuristics and blocklists that might say yes or no. Soon, a guy gets DUI, loses the ability to buy alcohol for six months--who would oppose that? Over time, the scope and frequency of financial deplatforminig will expand. Twitter does one-week suspensions for violating their terms of service. Why not your credit card?
- EdwardDiego 4y ago
  And that is something that I hope Canada has a moral reckoning with, that's absolutely astounding to me. Cash doesn't prevent this entirely though, unless you have all your cash under a mattress.
  - mdp2021 4y ago
    > Cash doesn't prevent this entirely though Yes, but it's "not being able to buy a car" vs "not being able to buy bread".
- woofyman 4y ago
  That is a myth. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-rcmp-banks-and-ottawa-say-convoy-protest-donors-wont-have-accounts/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-rcmp-banks-an...
zdragnar 4y ago
Few stores keep video recordings indefinitely. A fair number don't even bother with recording at all, they just make sure cameras are visible to act as a deterrent. Financial transaction records at banks might as well be forever, though. One of those is far more powerful than the other, and far more dangerous if it gets leaked to malicious actors.

How is an electronic record of a transaction any worse then being filmed by multiple cameras as you walked in to buy that bread? In my country, a warrant is required to access both sources of data.

dcposch 4y ago

It's an exceptionally flexible and convenient method of control. Earlier this year, donors to the truck convey protest in Canada had their bank accounts frozen. This wasn't a targeted list of "these 37 people have broken a law"--rather, it was a broad mandate to freeze accounts assocated with the protests, operationalized a bit differently by each bank. In a society where most businesses don't take cash anymore, this turnkey coercive capability becomes more airtight. The frog will boil slowly. A few years ago, all US payment processors blocked donations to Wikileaks, after they reported on war crimes in Iraq. Today, most people still think of digital money in the same way as physical cash; in reality, every transaction is a request for permission, with fraud heuristics and blocklists that might say yes or no. Soon, a guy gets DUI, loses the ability to buy alcohol for six months--who would oppose that? Over time, the scope and frequency of financial deplatforminig will expand. Twitter does one-week suspensions for violating their terms of service. Why not your credit card?

EdwardDiego 4y ago
And that is something that I hope Canada has a moral reckoning with, that's absolutely astounding to me. Cash doesn't prevent this entirely though, unless you have all your cash under a mattress.
- mdp2021 4y ago
  > Cash doesn't prevent this entirely though Yes, but it's "not being able to buy a car" vs "not being able to buy bread".
woofyman 4y ago
That is a myth. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-rcmp-banks-and-ottawa-say-convoy-protest-donors-wont-have-accounts/ https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-rcmp-banks-an...

zdragnar 4y ago

Few stores keep video recordings indefinitely. A fair number don't even bother with recording at all, they just make sure cameras are visible to act as a deterrent. Financial transaction records at banks might as well be forever, though. One of those is far more powerful than the other, and far more dangerous if it gets leaked to malicious actors.