Harvard economist Ken Rogoff makes a case for shifting
towards a cashless society - The Sinister Side of Cash
It is, however, a complex topic with good arguments from
both sides of the debate:
How a Cashless Society Could Embolden Big
Brother – The Atlantic
“In a cashless society, the cash has been converted into
numbers, into signals, into electronic currents. In short: Information replaces
cash.
Information is lightning-quick. It crosses cities,
states, and national borders in the twinkle of an eye. It passes through many
kinds of devices, flowing from phone to phone, and computer to computer, rather
than being sealed away in those silent marble temples we used to call banks.
Information never jangles uncomfortably in your pocket.
But wherever information gathers and flows, two predators
follow closely behind it: censorship and surveillance. The case of digital
money is no exception. Where money becomes a series of signals, it can be
censored; where money becomes information, it will inform on you.”
Would a Cashless System Reduce Corruption?
ECB decides to ditch the 500-euro note