# Financial Surveillance Stakes

By [jer979](https://paragraph.com/@jer979-2) · 2023-01-19

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There’s an article in today’s WSJ, [“Little-Known Surveillance Program Captures Money Transfers Between U.S. and More Than 20 Countries.”](https://www.wsj.com/articles/little-known-surveillance-program-captures-money-transfers-between-u-s-and-more-than-20-countries-11674019904?mod=lead_feature_below_a_pos1)

Predictably, a “one-time” order to try and monitor payments made to Mexican drug cartels has expanded and become institutionalized.

I’m sure that the vast majority of government agencies and people who work there believe that what they are doing is right and in the interests of the safety and security of the United States.

However, this type of institutionalized surveillance is dangerous and, following the law of unintended consequences, is going to be a bludgeon that the government will use against people.

I was talking with my cousin about Central Bank Digital Currencies last night. CBDCs are the rage….and they are the beginning of a dystopian future.

This is what crypto is about. Preventing that from happening.

And it’s why it’s worth it.

Few.

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*Originally published on [jer979](https://paragraph.com/@jer979-2/financial-surveillance-stakes)*