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

[Jacob Bachmeyer]

Özgür Kesim wrote:
> 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.
>   

There is a huge amount of overhead costs associated with deploying 
multiple currencies.  As I understand, China already has distinct 
on-shore and off-shore currencies.  The ability to issue "tainted money" 
within a currency greatly reduces those costs, and using it to implement 
age restrictions provides a "camel's nose under the tent" for 
introducing more restrictions even in Western countries, which (in case 
you have not noticed) have been recently trending increasingly 
authoritarian despite clear popular opposition to those policies.


-- Jacob