The computer can be used as a tool to liberate and protect people, rather than to control them. Unlike the world of today, where people are more or less at the mercy of credit agencies, large corporations, and governments, Chaum's approach balances power between individuals and organizations. Both kinds of groups are protected against fraud and mistreatment by the other.

Naturally, in today's society, with power allocated so disproportionately, such ideas are a threat to large organizations. Balancing power would mean a net loss of power for them. So no institution is going to pick up and champion Chaum's ideas. It's going to have to be a grass-roots activity, one in which individuals first learn of how much power they can have, and then demand it.

- Hal Finney (1992)