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For privacy, sit on your ATM cash for ~6+ months before spending it (slrpnk.net)
submitted 3 months ago by to c/cash@slrpnk.net
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For those who give a shit about privacy, consider the linked past post. The ATM reads the serial numbers of banknotes as it’s dispensed and later used to track your habits.

So to mitigate the threat of unwarranted mass surveillance, it’s a good idea to put your ATM withdrawals in an envelope with the transaction date. Then let it sit in your safe for 6—12 months so the tracking data becomes stale before you actually use it. A good length of time suggests the banknotes went through many hands before they are back on the radar.

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[–] 5 points 3 months ago (5 children)

So if I withdraw $500 to buy a used bicycle, and the new owner goes and buys a bunch of fertilizer, and the farm supply store deposits the cash at the bank, the FBI is going to show up at my house?

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  • [–] 8 points 3 months ago (2 children)

    I just use my debit card. That way there's no cash to track!

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  • [–] [S] 2 points 3 months ago* (1 child)

    I don’t know if banks generally scan inbound cash that’s deposited over the counter. But if the farm supply store subscribes to a armored car security service to pickup the cash, then the security service would scan the serial numbers and enter the farm supply store as the source.

    The evidence would not be strong enough to make an arrest but targetting you for extra surveillance seems likely enough IMO.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 months ago

    It wouldn't be tied to a transaction though would it? Just enough to suggest you may have made a transaction of some kind at that location.

    Still, seems like just holding the money may not be enough. Try to swap it. £500 you took out 6 months ago all got spent in the same place, that is probably still your money. If it was £80 of yours, £140 of Johns, £200 of Freds and £80 of Beths, now its far harder to know. Plus its mixed in with so many other transactions as well.

    More people swapping notes would also further reduce the value of that kind of surveillance.

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