Financial surveillance, privacy and the threat of CBDCs (feat. Marta Belcher)

Civil liberties and cryptocurrency lawyer Marta Belcher joins The Agenda to break down the importance of privacy, how financial surveillance works, the potential ramifications of CBDCs — and what concerned citizens can do to challenge corporate and government surveillance.

The Agenda is brought to you by Cointelegraph and hosted/produced by Ray Salmond and Jonathan DeYoung. Follow Cointelegraph on Twitter at @Cointelegraph, Jonathan at @maddopemadic and Ray at @HorusHughes. Jonathan is also on Instagram at @maddopemadic, and he makes the music for the podcast — hear more at madic.art. Follow Marta Belcher on Twitter at @martabelcher.

Check out Cointelegraph at cointelegraph.com.

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The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast are its participants’ alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph. This podcast (and any related content) is for entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice, nor should it be taken as such. Everyone must do their own research and make their own decisions. The podcast’s participants may or may not own any of the assets mentioned.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to The Agenda podcast and this week’s episode
• 1:02 Who is Marta Belcher, and how did she become interested in privacy and civil liberties?
• 6:22 Why Edward Snowden inspires Marta Belcher
• 9:52 Breaking down financial surveillance, the Fourth Amendment, the Bank Secrecy Act and the third-party doctrine
• 15:39 What happens with the financial data the government collects?
• 18:13 Why should the average person care about privacy and financial surveillance?
• 22:42 Unpacking the international nature of financial surveillance and why governments are cracking down on cash
• 27:00 Is Bitcoin anonymous? What is the United States doing to restrict financial privacy?
• 31:42 How can citizens fight back against government and corporate surveillance?
• 38:13 What are the potential negative consequences of central bank digital currencies, or CBDCs?
• 40:38 What can everyday citizens do to increase their privacy?
• 42:44 Where can listeners follow Marta Belcher on social media?