To ask you to read this cautionary tale of what we're sleepwalking into?

[AspireMe]

unherd.com/2020/10/how-corporations-can-delete-your-existence/

Some people might say she deserved it. Others might disagree.

Some people on here think TWANW. Some corporations might in turn deem that thought as heresy.

Encouraged more and more each day to go digital, paperless and cashless... what are we walking into here?

Nothing cautionary or sleepwalking about it. Normal practice under regulation relating to fraud, anti money laundering and terrorist financing.

Your post makes you sound ridiculous.

Did your tinfoil hat slip off today?

I know, OP, it's scary. Not quite sure what we can do about it, though. We are heading towards something like the Chinese social credit system. Fucking terrifying.

Well you can avoid it by not being a high profile arsewipe for starters.

After all, any business can tell a person to take their custom elsewhere can't they.

You surely support that don't you?

I imagine they had reason to believe that her account was being used for nefarious purposes (not unlikely given who she is). If they think there's criminal activity or anything untoward going on then they will instantly lock and close your account. We've all agreed to that in the terms and conditions.

It's good practice to not keep everything with one bank anyway in case of problems. But banks have always been able to do this, at least in my memory. I've read about this happening to people years and years ago.

That’s quite scary though tbh

Banks shouldn’t be involved with peoples personal lives. If people have an opinion, banks shouldn’t be involved with that.

No, you can't just wipe out someone's bank account because they hold views you dislike. Right now it's happening to people whose views I find appalling. But they could do it to you, too. That's the whole point. Who gets to decide what is an acceptable belief?

However abhorrent a person’s views are, they should not be barred from accessing their own money for any period of time. If banks are going to operate in this way and only bank with customers whose opinions they approve of, then they need to give the customer notice and allow them to move somewhere else.

Once these rules come in they can be applied to anyone. Remember Shamima Begum?

Of course they can

They're not forced to provide a service

I think the digitalisation of everything was always a worry, the supermarket near the shop I worked in was in gridlock the other week when all their visa machines went down because they were hacked. It was the most nuts thing I’ve ever seen, the queues for the bank machine went through the whole shopping centre! We also had many times a card or the machine wouldn’t work and people were very stuck. Awful as some of the people above sound though, yes it’s awful the power big banking can have!!!

No sympathy for the lovely Laura and her friends.

I'm pretty sure there was a thread on this article when it was first published over a year ago.

I've definitely read that before.

She and other person mentioned in the article have links to National Action who are classified as a terrorist group.

If you're fucking around with terrorist groups then, yeah, you're going to find your assets frozen.

Moral of the story: don't be a cunt.

I've given up saying this, on MN and IRL, because no one gives a crap.

Any commercial business can say "we don't want to serve you" as long as they're not protected from exclusion under the law (I.e racist)

These cases are people with abhorrent attitudes shouting them from the rooftops. They don't give a shit of consequences to others of their spewed hatred.

Well now they are getting consequences themselves. I applaud the banks for refusing to handle their money.

It concerns me to be honest.
Now is prime time to accelerate moving towards digital only currency. Why go to the trouble of printing new money with the King's profile on? Why not use it as an opportunity to start phasing out cash?

They are awful individuals and awful beliefs but I agree, who made that decision and how come they know so much about her in order to have made that decision ? ... they would have had to have done some serious digging.

I never have cash on me, it's just easier with a card but I agree The power that is held by banking corporations would be astronomical if we were complete cashless and that is where we are headed.

It's an uncomfortable realisation and no one seems to care. The Chinese social
Credit system isn't discussed much here even though it would be a life changing way to live.

I can't imagine what that must be like but i think it's coming our way.

There are facial recognition cameras being installed in a lot of places ( big cities especially ).

DH was headhunted for a role in 'smarter cities' he declined the role but it's going to be a reality.

It isn't about their views. It's about funds passing through their bank accounts being the proceeds of or going on to finance criminal activity including terrorism, or having reasonable grounds to believe this is the case. Banks are responsible for what their accounts are used for and are fully entitled to close an account if they suspect it is being used for a purpose that's against their terms and conditions. You'd expect a responsible bank to do that wouldn't you?

People with ties to terror organisations are usually flagged, they don't need to go digging

There is absolutely no indication that we're moving toward the chinese social credit system.

A pair of racists with links to a terror organisation had their assets frozen. This is not new or out of the blue, legislation exists to allow this to happen so that terror groups have their funding cut off.

Less digging that you would think. Lots of automatic scanning based on sanctioned countries, individuals, unusual or suspicious activity.

She had linked to terrorism, the consequences of that is right there in the terms and conditions.

Would you be complaining if this was a brown, Muslim male and not a white woman, who was associating with terrorist organisations..

Already happening in China with the social credit system.