At this point, it is clear that a #VPN provider must accept payment in cash in order to provide a real #privacy tool. Cash is much easier to handle privately than crypto for most of the world, and a lot more people around the world have access to currency exchange and snail mail than places to safely buy crypto. Kudos to @mullvadnet and @protonvpn for providing that service.
@guardianproject @mullvadnet @protonvpn Yes and No.
With countries like Austria & Germany starting to restrict access to cash, #Bezahlkarte, it will get more difficult for more and more people to pay for #privacy tools this way 😢
(Speaking for Europe, maybe something like the PaySafeCard should be considered as well. Think I have seen some VPN service offering their own gift cards too 🤔)
@darkandandstormy @guardianproject it's unfortunate that more places are starting to restrict access to cash. But this doesn't mean others should follow suit, or that cash shouldn't be as widely accepted as possible.
It would be better for people in those places to push back against the restriction in order to have better privacy without involving third parties in every transaction
@keverets @guardianproject Totally agree. I'm not asking for them to stop accepting cash, would only make things worse.
And of course pushing back against the restrictions would be the right thing to do. But Austria & Germany are really weird countries these days, don't think this is going to happen. Too late, too little.
So soon, right in the center of First World Europe, there will be a lower class that will have a restricted use of cash.
And that has to be considered going forward.