Re: [Taler] [address@hidden: 'Oh, that's an idea...': U.S. parents respond to China screen time ban]

[Özgür Kesim]

Thus spake Jacob Bachmeyer (jcb62281@gmail.com):

> Using China as contrast again, how about special tokens not available to
> Uighurs?  Once we implement one type of "identity attribute" in Taler, we
> have no control over governments imposing more such attributes on Taler
> exchanges in their jurisdictions.  Not supporting this at all and standing
> on the grounds of human rights and the great abuse potential of this feature
> is, I believe, a more ethical solution.  After all, if we could depend on
> other people to be ethical, Tivoisation would not exist and we would
> probably still be happily using GPLv2.

China doesn't need a feature in GNU Taler to taint money, it can do so
by deploying multiple currencies.  And it can do it so with _existing_
GNU Taler, too, easily.

What the proposed extension for GNU Taler _can_ provide, however, is a
mechanism that protects at least a subset of privacy, such as anonymity
and unlikability, even in the case of an oppressive goverment using the
payment system in unethical ways.  Adding such a mechanism - like
anoymous age-restriction - is the more ethical solution, IMO.

-- oec