Hi John

At the order of President Biden,¹ the US government is considering the creation of its own digital dollar, and it seems like they want it to spy on us. We’re not talking about crypto here, we’re talking about the government itself making digital cash that could be used like a debit card. This isn’t some pie in the sky idea, it’s being considered by 100+ countries and already being explored in Jamaica, South Africa, and France. That’s why we hope you’ll team up with organizations like the ACLU to speak out via our open letter.²

TAKE ACTION

We already live in a financial system that wants to surveil our every move, and a digital cash equivalent that spies on or restricts everything we buy would make it even worse. As the Federal Trade Commission works to address surveillance and data abuses by companies,³ the government should be setting the right example by protecting people’s privacy and upholding human rights principles such as anonymity, privacy, permissionlessness, and accessibility.

We cannot have government-backed currency that basically functions as a surveillance backdoor into our wallets. Sign our open letter and fight with us for surveillance-free digital cash.

Blocking mass surveillance and data collection is crucial in light of the repeal of Roe v Wade. Even more worries about being tracked and punished for how we spend our money is the last thing we need at a time like this. New state laws might criminalize or block the very act of donating to Planned Parenthood at all—digital cash, if done right, could actually help.

The bottom line: if the government is going to create digital cash, it must be at least as good as paper cash at preserving our basic human rights. Sign our letter demanding that any digital cash the government creates be safe and rights-enhancing by design.

Ese at ❤️Fight

Footnotes

1. Executive Order on Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/03/09/executive-order-on-ensuring-responsible-development-of-digital-assets/

2. No Spy Cash: ACLU, Fight for the Future, and more demand any digital dollar be as private as cash https://www.fightforthefuture.org/news/2022-09-20-no-spy-cash-aclu-fight-for-the-future-and-more-demand-any-digital-dollar-be-as-private-as-cash-2/

3. Tell the FTC: We need meaningful safeguards against corporate data abuse https://ftccomments.com