I’ve been mindful of the ways companies can track my spending habits, and so have been increasingly keen on using cash and avoiding mobile banking/payment apps like the plague. I realize that this varies by country and might be a bit far out, but the thought does linger in the back of my mind. If current trends continue, how much longer until they take cash and browser-based banking from us? Or will there be a reason those options should continue to exist (and be easily usable) far into the future? And perhaps:
- What else can I, as an individual, do about this?
- Is there a tendency for larger banks or smaller credit unions to push towards mobile-only online banking?
- What does it look like in countries where cashless and mobile payments are the norm?
I didn’t see any English articles about that, bit just recently it made the rounds in German speaking news outlets that cash is very well trackable. Thanks to the individual serial number on every euro bill, they can track you from the ATM to the bar. And banks, big supermarkets etc. already do it. There is even a German company selling this data.
More information (unfortunately in german): https://netzpolitik.org/2025/bargeld-tracking-du-hast-ueberwachungsinstrumente-im-portemonnaie/
Why the fuck can’t I just buy shit in peace anymore.
NO.
LINE MUST ALWAYS GO UP.
The gang discovers money laundering