Anonymity of cash - justified?

sillystudent_2

Was wondering what you guys thought on this.

Reading newspaper reports and general surveys on the subject, it seems one of the main reasons people are reluctant to switch over to cards completely is anonymity - quite simply, they're afraid of being on some big database.

Now I know that cash is obviously the preferred (and only) method for the criminal/tax evasive elements of society - but leaving them aside and focusing on Mr. Joe Public, is there any justification for him preferring cash?

At first I thought this Orwellian idea was ridiculous, but actually thinking about it there may be some credibility to it. Obviously there isn't some Big Brother database where everything is stored (at least i hope not! :eek:) but supermarkets/big businesses and banks do keep the majority of your spending habits on a database I'd imagine.

Now while if your a law-abiding citizen with 'nothing to hide' this shouldn't matter, why should various organisations know how and where you spend your money? What if someone's embarassed where they spend their money - gambling, strip clubs, pornography, to name a few - leaving any moral issues aside, these are all 100% legitimate ways for someone to spend their money. Why shouldn't they do it in privacy?

I guess what I'm asking is - is the view of cash for anonymity (assuming you're 100% law-abiding citizen) justified? How big is the actual 'threat' to privacy - when a few card transactions at, say, Ann Summer-like shops, casinos or stripclubs (using extreme examples here) crop up, does the bank or anyone else actually take any interest? What about general purchases, like where you shop for food - are these recorded down anywhere? And do you guys think there's a problem with this?

I'm not rly sure what to think tbh, so I welcome your thoughts

td_007

It depends on what you are trying to keep private. Compared to a credit card that largely shows where you shop, loyalty cards e.g. Tesco clubcard track exactly what you shop. Someone in Tesco knows which is your preferred brand of bread, wine, condoms....:eek:

karatedragon

I use Cash a lot. To spend in the shops and that. I rarely use my debit card and dont have a credit card. I also use the Newsagent's PayPoint with cash to pay bills. Very convenient. Fags, Sweets and pay the bills all in one go!

lordash

With cards, the issue for most people is that all your transactions appear on your statement and get sent to your home address. So its not just some faceless Tesco employee seeing what brand of toilet paper you prefer, it is a case of your wife/husband/girlfriend/boyfriend/mum/dad/nosy neighbour/whoever having a look and seeing exactly where, when, what (in a lot of cases) you spend your money on and how much you spent. Also, I don't like the thought of some bank cashier looking at all my card transactions on their screen when I speak to them on the phone or in the branch, espc. if its something embarassing and you're standing right in front of them.

Also, get rid of cash and you throw away the last bit of independence you have from the banks, everybody would be forced to open a bank account and keep all their money in there and pay for everything with cards (which in itself is a slow, unreliable, insecure and inefficient system compared to cash). Card got stolen? Can't buy anything (food, bus fares to work, etc.) until its sorted (could be a week or longer). Gas company took out too much money by mistake, leaving you overdrawn? Can't buy food (and therefore eat) until its sorted out. Complain to your bank about something (eg. charges) and they close your account? Bank collapses because they lost all their (and your) money on the stock exchange or lent it out to people who are unable to repay? Same thing. Your bank will run your life.