Re: [Taler] Money with capabilities

[Jacob Bachmeyer]

Özgür Kesim wrote:
> Thus spake Jacob Bachmeyer (jcb62281@gmail.com):
>
>   
> > This is basic microeconomics:  supply (of money in your
> > wallet) and demand (for money to make your desired
> > purchases) govern your perceived value of the money.
> > Money with limited demand (because it can only be spent on
> > some items) is less valuable to its holder and therefore
> > *more* likely to be spent frivolously.
> >
> > Yes, even age restrictions:  minors (who already have less
> > understanding of the value of money, which is one of the
> > reasons we put limits on them in the first place) will be
> > more likely to spend larger amounts more readily, thus
> > driving inflation in items purchasable by minors.  There
> > Is No Free Lunch Here.
> >     
>
> I don't see how the effect of moving existing, ID-based age
> verification for goods and services into the tokens in GNU
> Taler would change the purchasing habbits of minors.

It does not change anything; this is an existing problem, mostly 
mitigated by minors typically having very little money in the first place.

> [...]
> To give us a sense of the magnitude of the first outcome:
>
> According to the European buero of statistics in 2020 we had
> 46,486,453 minors (age bucket 8 to 17) in 28 European
> countries.  That is more then 10% of the total population of
> 447,319,916 (numbers from https://bit.ly/32iWEyV).  Those
> (alongside with parents/guards and merchants) would benefit
> from anonymous age verification.
>
> My position is that the benefit of the first outcome is real
> and substantial, while the other is possible (technically)
> but hypothetical (requires sufficient political consent).
>
> But maybe I'm too Europe-centric here?

Since when have oppressive regimes cared about consent of any sort?

There was once a well-understood principle that making tools that help 
oppressive regimes is bad.  Where has that gone?


-- Jacob