What does privacyIDEA have to do with the abolition of cash money? Usually we do no political blogging here, but this is a great case to give you a deeper understand of the idea behind privacyIDEA.
Cash Money
In Germany certain disoriented politicians suggest the abolition of cash money. Arguing that cash money is used by criminals and terrorists. Abolishing cash money and only allowing electronical transactions, these transactions can be tracked and controlled. Crimes will be avoided and terrorism ended. Luckily there are other prominent statements to contradict this wired ideas.
But what does the abolition of cash money have to do with privacyIDEA?
Central Book Keeping
In the European Union we usually like to travel to other EU countries and pay with the same Euro, not having to change money or bother about any exchange rate. Usually this is very convenient.
Electronic transactions could be great and convenient, too. We do not need to care about bringing enough money, everything would be smooth and easy and one central book keeping instance would take care to transfer 100 credits from person A to person B. After the transfer is approved and completed, person B could hand person A the goods of interest.
But such a central book keeping instance would not only know, what money was spent by whom on what, but it could also restrict the amount of money person A is allowed to spent or person B is allowed to receive. Even worse this controlling instance could also disallow person A to spent money for certain goods or to buy from certain sellers at all. Thus people could be banned from buying cigarettes, certain medicine or unpleasant newspapers.
Again, what does this have to do with privacyIDEA?
No Central Book Keeping
We do not like to be controlled and we do not want you to be controlled either. Many two factor authentication services are running two factor authentication as — guess what — a service. This in fact is such a central book keeping. Such a central service knows, who of your users authenticated where and when. And they could easily allow or disallow access based on other decisions than the right OTP value sent by your smartphone. You do not know and do not control the algorithms used.
This is why we offer privacyIDEA to run on premise. Under your control. With no central book keeping and with no fear, that conditions or laws might change tomorrow.
And this is why it makes me shiver, when I read about any idea for centrally controlled anything or the abolition of cash money.
Fight for your informational self-determination and stand up to keep your cash money!
…and use privacyIDEA!
