[rrockstar]

Exactly. The truth is, paying electronically is so much easier than with cash. Either way, paying with cash is the past and will (slowly) move away. I'd much rather be an anonymous technologist than an anonymous luddite.

[DominikR]

> I'd much rather be an anonymous technologist than an anonymous luddite.

Luddite? Do you even know what this word means? There is currently no anonymous payment technology on this planet that works universally and everywhere.

In face of this reality, cash has its value for everyone that wants to pay anonymously.

[yxhuvud]

> There is currently no anonymous payment technology on this planet that works universally and everywhere.

This is true, but notice that the statement also cover cash.

[rrockstar]

I think legislature should focus on the core of a problem and create laws that solve that problem. The core of the problem is anonymous payment, not 'cash is the best payment system'. I think that laws should focus on increasing privacy of (electronic) payment information, not force cash to be kept around. In the Netherlands more than the US, cash is being phased out more and more. I would rather pay with a debit card with increased privacy than force businesses to keep cash registers.

[icebraining]

Laws requiring an "increase of privacy of payment information" fall under the same problem of Playing chicken with cat.jpg[1]. In essence, they help, but human honesty and compliance with the rules is still a very weak replacement for a solution where the information is not accessible at all.

There are some academic proposals and proofs-of-concept implementing anonymous electronic payments, but while they may prove worthy successors of cash, they are certainly not ready.

[1] http://www.daemonology.net/blog/2012-01-19-playing-chicken-w...

[gonvaled]

Hey, mister non-luddite, create this payment system for me:

1) Instantaneous

2) Anonymous

3) Non blockable

4) Not centralized

I am all for technology which solves real problems, not for technology for technology's sake. If you create technological crap, I'm gonna luddite you.

[Ntrails]

Things I want from payment:

- low effort - low interaction

that's it. I couldn't give two hoots about anonymity vs being able to contactless payment (although having to get my wallet out and hold it against the reader is definitely still too much effort...)

Some people prefer cash for a variety of reasons, self control, budgeting etc. Sometimes for various tax reasons. But I just don't see the evidence of the general public caring about privacy on this one.