Senate: Passed #64 - Electronic Funds

[Wes]

YSE Proposal #64
Electronic Funds

Purpose:

1. KS is a pain to carry and manufacture.
2. KS cannot be easily tracked.
3. Citizens need decent ID cards.

Proposal:

1. No new KS coins will be issued.
2. All monetary exchange will be handled electronically.
3. All citizens and plebians will be provided (free) a identification card that will keep track of money in conjunction with a computerized network.
4. An implant may be used instead if preferred.
5. All businesses will be provided with a card/implant readers upon request.

 

[Zack]

1. coins will always have a purpose even though in SA the KS system isn't really used.

2. this moves the Yamatai goverment closer towards a totalitarian state

3. some financial transactions require a certan degree of aninimity to be profitable. The goverment should not create a monopoly over financial institutions which will only empower them and weaken the power of the people within the goverment both as individuals and corporations, further slaving them to the Yamatai goverment. This also gives the goverment virtual 'life or death' control over the corporations if they control the flow of electronic funds.

4. A banking monopoly not guided by an extrodinary sense of purpose will lead to corruption within the banking establishment leading to a less stable economy.

 

[Yangfan]

In response to our esteemed senator from Xyainbor:

1. This objection has some merit and warrants debate.

2. ID-cards have been accepted practice in many local principalities for centuries, including democratic ones.

3. Existing encryption algorithms can allow anonymous credit transfers. Even if the bank/government and the merchant conspire, the buyer/seller would remain anonymous if proper steps were taken during the transaction.

4. This objection has merit. The current corporate system has served us well. The banking system should remain a private industry, with limited government oversight.

Perhaps the ID card proposal and the electronic funds proposal could be split into two. I find the ID card portion of the proposal acceptable.

The electronic funds portion would be more acceptable if private banks are allowed to issue electronic "cash-cards" that allow anonymous credit transfers (that obviously are not used for ID purposes). This would allow an even greater amount of freedom and privacy for individuals than the current KS system, which could be tracked by serial number and finger-prints.

 

[Zack]

On a sidenote: The KS system makes it virtually impossible to track counterfitters. Because the system has no reason to go to banks (Or dosn't have any banks at all?) there is no central place for old KS to flow in and new KS to flow out. This makes updating the currency extremely difficult and also prevents any one organisation from examining the KS quality for counterfits. The economy also can't grow effectively because people's savings are kept with them instead of in banks where the money can be pumped back into the economy when it isn't in use.

 

[Zakalwe]

I like the idea of an electronic currency. What would happen if you lost your card, or it was stolen? Or your implant removed? I suppose DNA scanning would work for the card.

The idea of a personal Identity Card is also a good one. Screw privacy, this is Yamatai we're talking about.

Nataria is behind both proposals.

 

[Rob]

Indentity cards... maybe not. Why use ID cards when you can short range scan the genetics of your target, and link it in with an empire-spanning computer system (aka MEGAMI), which EASILY has the capacity to store personals on every single citizen?

Ketsuriui Standards are an interesting currency. The military sometimes uses them, sometimes not. The civilians sometimes use them, sometimes not. Personally I like the idea of a digitalised currency, but instead of common thieves, we'll start seeing "harvesters" - people going around forcibly dechipping others for their funds. And i'm not even going to go into the CERTAINTY of vast loss through hacking. It's a good idea, but it wouldn't work for a number of reasons (and now I come to think of it, what's to stop people messing with their chips to add credits to them remotely?).

In order to offset the failings of digital currency, I propose we use BOTH in a phasing-out period for the Standard, so that if any problems do arise the procedure can be rethought before being carried out, or cancelled outright...

 

[Tsuki]

Have you forgotten what happens when you scan a neko's DNA?
SAINT lists it as one of it's ways to kill a neko.

 

[Rob]

... good point. I suppose I was thinking more of neplesians and geshrin... Don't have many neko on Tatiana!

How about some kind of implant then, possibly paired with the digital currency? all you need to do is scan the chip, and it gives you the personal details (if authorised) of the person. Atlthough, such a device could be adapted to scanning credit details, and stealing data...

 

[Yangfan]

For esoteric mathematical reasons, it has been proven that the cash-card concept is viable regarding privacy and accuracy. In other words, electronic credit transfers can remain anonymous, and a criminal won't be able to add free money to a card. (OOC: This has been proven by computer scientists, under the assumption that the set P does not equal the set NP. I can track down references if you guys want, but hopefully, we can chalk this up to justifiably-believable and be done with it.)

A cash-card can obviously still be stolen, and the money can't be retrieved by the very reason that it is anonymous. But this is true for paper and coin money as well.

Additional security can be added by embedding your retinal scan and palm print, but then the card can be linked to you, and privacy goes out the window, obviously.

The cash-card would act as one's wallet, carrying enough money for everyday use but not access to one's entire bank account.

 

[Rob]

Amen. On that note, Tatiana backs the proposed changes to the Yamataian Empire. Long live the Imperator and all that!

 

[Zack]

For esoteric mathematical reasons

That does not factor in on this (besides the fact I'm 100% sure those calculations don't take into account the computer systems being used on this RP), the fact of the matter remains that you have one, government controlled, entity governing all the rules on financial transactions with NO safeguards in place to prevent them from abusing their power. Saying yes to this would be like following the sheep in front of you to the slaughter house.

 

[Wes]

If people have financial transactions they want to hide, maybe those transactions are ones they shouldn't be doing.

Electronic funds have been is use since the KS system was started.Hoshi no Iori's proposal would simply be replacing the coins with the ID card.

I like the idea of an electronic currency. What would happen if you lost your card, or it was stolen? Or your implant removed?

You could contact the YSA (Yamatai Security Agency), and your old card/chip would be rendered useless through its network connections Then, you'd go get a new one.

 

[Tsuki]

I think that we should keep KS, just use ID cards for most transactions.

 

[Jadg Wolf]

No.

 

[Yangfan]

I'm 100% sure those calculations don't take into account the computer systems being used on this RP

Hmm. Point. Then again, not many people can afford to have quantum computers, even though I don't think it's a restricted tech. (Perhaps it should be.)

I guess it boils down to whether you trust Yamatai or not.

(OOC: It's funny how real life and fiction often intertwine. The US government is slowly inching toward implementing a national ID card system.)

 

[Zack]

(Perhaps, but the circumstances are completely different. The US exsists in a world with many other nations and does not have the computing power to track each and every individual. Your privacy can be secured if you want it to be)

 

[Wes]

Voting Began: May 09, 08:01 pm
Voting Ended: May 12, 08:00 pm

Votes:

Yes: 3 (Hoshi no Iori, Nataria, Tatiana)
No: 1 (Delsauria)

Result: This proposal passes.

(OOC: Zack clearly was against the proposal, but at no point did the Xyainbor representative actually say he voted no, which is required for the vote to be counted. Also, none of the motions to change were seconded, so none were successful. )