A cashless society. Progress or Trojan horse?

In an era where the mobile phone replaces the wallet and transactions are increasingly carried out with a click, the prospect of a cashless society seems inevitable. Many speak of convenience, security and speed. But behind this technological ease lie questions that are hard to ignore.

The end of anonymity?

For many, cash is the last refuge of anonymous transactions. When every purchase, every payment and every financial move passes through digital systems, a complete footprint of your life is created. What you buy, where you go, when you go out — all are recorded. And the question is: who has access to that data?

Possibility of control or even punishment

A fully digital economy gives governments a tool of power without historical precedent. In extreme cases, access to money can be restricted or "frozen" if someone is deemed undesirable or dangerous. Technology does not discriminate — it is the way it is used that gives rise to risks.

What happens if a government decides to "block" the accounts of protesters? Or if a social scoring system is introduced where the "non-compliant" lose rights to use their money?

Dependence on technology

A cashless society presupposes the continuous operation of electronic systems and infrastructure. What happens in the case of a cyberattack, a technical failure or even a geopolitical crisis? Not being able to buy even a loaf of bread because the system "went down" is not science fiction — it is a risk we must take seriously.

Poverty of choice

Finally, let us not forget that not everyone has access to or familiarity with technology. A society that abolishes physical money excludes the most vulnerable: older people, the economically disadvantaged, migrants. When choice disappears, freedom shrinks.

Perhaps it is not the existence of the technology that should frighten us, but the absence of institutional checks and options. A cashless society can bring convenience, but if we do not safeguard privacy, freedom and equal access, it may draw us closer to a society without freedoms.