[dessant]

> Accounts are verified with government-issued ID, so you know people are who they say they are.

I would prefer a global payment solution that defaults to anonymity, or at least pseudonymity, especially when it comes to transferring small amounts of money, such as paying for groceries.

This requirement is nothing more on Facebook's part than defaulting to the lowest common denominator in order to harvest as much data as they possibly can.

[consp]

That would be illegal almost everywhere in the world for natural persons.

[dessant]

One can legally pay with cryptocurrencies for various services around the world, without submitting a government ID.

https://www.lifewire.com/big-sites-that-accept-bitcoin-payme...

https://coinmap.org/#/world/31.80289259/-82.96875000/3

[thefounder]

Bitcoin is a nightmare for both buyer and seller due its volatility, not to mention the difference between exchange rates. You may buy your bitcoin with a specific price but the merchant/payment processor values it differently(lower). Just check bitpay to see for yourself

[dessant]

All payment solutions have drawbacks, we are talking about legality at the moment.

[cyphar]

Cash payment is an obvious counter-example. Yes, the seller needs to keep records for tax purposes. But the buyer does not.

For an example of a crypto payment system (though not crytpocurrency) that attempts to provide anonymity in a way that doesn't make governments unhappy take a look at GNU Taler.