Hacker News Reader

Acknowledge that not using cash places is "advanced" but also want to say that being able to use cash is not necessarily a bad thing. Cash allows for anonymity, allows for the un-banked to conduct their business, and prevents 100% leverage of your transactions data (not to mention transaction fees) by the companies that handle them.

View on HN

You are correct in all of this, of course, but cash can always be kept for backup even in societies that are mostly cashless.

The issue of "un banked" can be distinctly American too, actually. Given the extent of social programs in Can/EU, even the nearly homeless have bank accounts, because government funds are pushed directly into accounts, and it's more secure/timely than receiving a physical cheque. Not having a simply checking account is a very rare thing in Canada.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com