Replying to Avatar Guy Swann

Tether is not a CBDC.

It's literally a BDC

Tether is not a central bank, they don't issue notes of an independent monetary unit. They aren't associated with any govt. Tether is just a modern banknote with most of the same problems, risks, and trust issues. The difference being it is available to anyone with a smart phone without an account -- which is actually a significant improvement over the old garbage.

Tether is custodian issued digital banknotes. Literally in every use of those terms this is the accurate thing to call it. "Cash" has always just referred to banknotes issued that were redeemable in gold or at a bank that was a bearer asset. The difference with a stablecoin like Tether and physical cash is the oversight/surveillance that the institution has for the digital alternative. This is why ecash is actually the only thing that digitally shares basically all the characteristics of physical cash (txn privacy from issuer and bearer asset). Tether is far easier to freeze accounts and spy on what everyone is doing. Obviously why people want to label it "something bad."

My point is that the CBDC label is NOT accurate, and when we use words and labels arbitrarily, it desensitizes people to them. If people just become "whatever" about Tether (because if you don't use it, who cares), and everyone calls it a CBDC, then after a few years of this people are just going to think "CBDCs are fine, who cares?"

Calling everything we don't like a CBDC is a HUGE BENEFIT to actual CBDCs.

Bank digital currencies are not a problem. They will remain solvent as long as the "bank" does. They are a much better option than credit cards, and the option of being able to issue ecash is even better.

BDCs are certainly a far cry from the #Bitcoin sovereign world that we are building and have nothing to do with it, but they are ALSO a far cry from a genuine CBDC.

So please, stop using words that matter in a stupid and cheap way, because when we REALLY need them, you'll have sucked them of all of their power and meaning.

What backs the BDCs? Does the thing backing it come from... a central bank?

Reply to this note

Please Login to reply.

Discussion

Do you not realize that this isn't relevant at all and has nothing to do with the definition or core problem of a CBDC?

Treasuries back tons of major investment institutions, are they CBDCs? Treasuries back every modern currency across the world today, are they CBDCs? Treasuries back reserves at you local bank, does your debit card spend and receive CBDCs?

With respect, literally dude you kinda prove my point. "backed by treasuries" is the least important and not even slightly unique part of the concern for CBDCs. Literally ALL of the fiat bullshit, the ENTIRE global fiat enterprise, is backed by govt treasuries already. When someone issues and forces a CBDC on the population, not once will my protest be "I can't believe its backed by treasuries!"

If that's what bothers you about CBDCs, then I have really bad news for you... just sayin

It's about who controls the pulleys and levers.

If any of those things you listed were a digital currency (debit card definitely is), then yes, they are CBDCs.

The core problem as I see it is control, largely via surveillance. Tether does not control their backing. My bank does not control their backing. CBDCs are already here and derive from control of the backing assets. Want to control Tether, stop selling them notes.

I understand your point but disagree with your assertions regarding Tether. They're pegged to THW same central bank we all are. That being said, hopefully they'll pivot to Bitcoin backed if/when the time comes. It's obvious they're accumulating sats by leveraging fiat fuckery.