I could see a future in which ad-funded web sites charge agents some tiny amount per request instead of outright blocking non-human visitors.

Besides, you're already effectively giving agents money (tokens aren't free, and agents decide when to stop consuming new ones), this is just more explicit :)

I used to work in fintech (back when Glass Steagall was a thing people cared about), and I am sort of perturbed by modern KYC requirements. Do they make sense for large transactions? Could be, not that any of that stops fraud from corporations or firms committing it; it just hides the fraud and places the onus on those less able to hide their funds in offshore locations or convertible currencies (like crypto) and metals (not that the average American would have much of that).

Do we need KYC for reloadable cards under a certain dollar amount though? I don't think so. We need a new tier of regulation to account for the fact that a lot of online transactions occur which do not fit a 'gift card' model but do not feel as comfortable with a 'forever identity' attached (for instance music subscriptions, recurring application payments, perhaps donations). A prepaid debit card with a limit of $500 or $1000, maybe, that anyone can get, like the old GreenDot cards but with a lower threshold and the ability to set a pin.

Basically as much as someone might carry around in cash, or a week or so of what someone might make at a 'not high wage' job.

Not everyone wants a bank account, or an account at a place that is not a bank account, and often people with those want an alternative to just cash.

We should not be so willing to sacrifice our possible pseudoanonymity; have we learned nothing from ad serving?