From: tcmay@sensemedia.net (Timothy C. May)
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 95 00:36:44 PDT
To: John Young <cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Pat Robertson Fears E-cash?
Message-ID: <ac4478ee14021004c8be@[205.199.118.202]>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 12:31 AM 8/2/95, John Young wrote:
>   A Foxhole-atheist swears Pat Robertson said last night that
>his
>   new book warns of a "digital cash society" and massive
>   theft by cyber-criminals. Did any believer hear this, or
>know if
>   this is what he prognosticates for e-cash bedevilment?

I didn't see this, but even if I did it's not likely the subtleties of
digital cash societies would be explored.

There is the "digital cash society" we fear as an Orwellian surveillance
society, with all transactions recorded. This is perhaps the future
Robertson fears.

There is the "digital cash society" based on Chaumian schemes and
untraceability, similar to a "hard cash" society without proofs of identity
at every stage, and I suspect Robertson would find much to like about this.

(There are also the implications which Robertson might recoil at, too. :-})

So, hearing that "Pat Robertson is warning against a digital cash society"
is not too worrisome to me. I suspect he means the stuff about Big Brother
tracking us and the Number of the Beast, and so on.

Don't forget he came out strongly against Clipper, early on.

--Tim May

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