Richard Stallman is well known for his activism in the free software movement. And it was precisely this concept that prompted Stallman to launch the GNU Project, found the Free Software Foundation, and publish the GNU General Public License, among other projects, to promote the concept of free software.
During an interview, Stallman shared his views on the concept of cryptocurrencies which have been widely discussed within the crypto community.
Those in technology in general they talked about the goal of the Chinese government to launch their own central bank digital currency (CBDC), as well as plans for the Bank of Thailand to launch a pilot project of its CBDC payment system with the country's largest supplier of building materials.
However, others believe that the CBDC could be a surveillance method for governments to monitor the financial activities of their citizens.
And in this Stallman blames "totalitarian surveillance" of the Chinese government as the trigger for this mistrust:
“Digital payment systems are inherently dangerous if they are not designed to guarantee privacy. China is the enemy of privacy. China shows what totalitarian surveillance is like. This is part of the reason I did not use community issued cryptocurrencies. If the cryptocurrency is issued by a government, it would monitor people like credit cards and PayPal do, and all these other systems would therefore be totally unacceptable.
However, you don't see any contradiction when talking about the concept of cryptocurrency and the fact that it could be issued by a government:
“Contradiction is a very specific concept. What is a cryptocurrency? It is the use of a particular technological method. If a government implements this method, I don't see how this is a contradiction. But if the government is using him as a watchdog, I think it's cruel. «
The founder of the free software movement carried out to explain the concept of »confidentiality« when talking about the confidentiality of cryptography:
"What is confidentiality? Privacy means being able to say and do things without being used by a powerful entity to attack you. In general, the things you do shouldn't be put into a database. Things that you say to few people should not be included in a database. However, exceptions to this rule are sometimes justified. We need the government to be able to investigate. It requires some modification. We want the government to be able to investigate crimes and catch criminals. And that may require obtaining private information from people and about people ”.
Stallman offers the GNU Taler alternative, although it is not a cryptocurrency, but does mention that it could be used for digital payments. During the interview, he was also asked about his personal experience with cryptocurrency.
As well You were asked if you have ever had or transacted with a cryptocurrency like Bitcoin.
To which Richard Stallman said:
"The answer is no. I do not make any type of digital payment and the reason is that the existing systems do not respect user privacy, including Bitcoin. Every Bitcoin transaction is published. People may not know that my wallet is mine, but if I used it more than a few times, it would be possible to find out that it is mine. People with enough information could do this. I prefer to use cash. And this is how I buy things.
“I do postal checks for a number of things where companies know who I am. When I pay the electricity and gas bills, I have an account with these companies and I have to pay it. They send me invoices in my name, so I don't lose anything by sending them checks in my name as well. But when I go to a store and buy something, the store has no right to know who I am. And I won't tell you who I am, so I don't use existing digital payment systems.
Following your reply, asked about various Bitcoin modifications designed for privacy. And Richard Stallman replied:
"I am not convinced. Either way, the GNU Project has developed something much better, GNU Taler. GNU Taler is not a cryptocurrency. It is not a coin at all. It is a payment system designed to be used for anonymous payments to companies to buy something. «
Do your research on Monero (xmr), dear Richard.
of course this son of his p… .m… .dre… for decades he was sold to corporations, and he intends to sell the idea of the blockchain, also governed by corporations, his Linux project received millions of dollars to carry out the so-called project: Hyperledger, if likewise, with the Hyperledger they have tried to take over the blockchain, a concept that implies DECENTRALIZATION, very contrary to Hyperledger and Stalman