Re:The First Credit Card Ever (2016)
by billfruit on Monday December 23, 2019 @05:47AM
(#21862805)
I do think that ditching cash for some type of electronic payment has some positives in current political climate: if people and businesses become utterly dependent on internet based payments, then it becomes harder for governments to do internet block-out, without doing serious damage to economy and crippling normal life.
[ Parent
| on HN ]
Surely you mean easier. It's easier for governments to control electronic money than cash. The government knows nothing about all that cash under that mattress.
If it comes that people are going to starve because internet is cut, then governments would not decide to cut internet on so light grounds.
Re:The First Credit Card Ever (2016)
by Mountain_Skies on Monday December 23, 2019 @07:49AM
(#21863288)
Wholesale, yes, but targeted harassment of groups out of political favor would be possible.
Re:The First Credit Card Ever (2016)
by scarface74 on Monday December 23, 2019 @09:47AM
(#21863887)
Most of the governments that would cut internet don’t care of the ordinary people starve as long as they can keep the military - ie the people who can either kill them or protect them fed.
This is also the reason that sanctions don’t work.