If convenience was the goal, it would be possible to have individualized Visa cards that were anonymous to the vendor. Not a charge card, but a debit card that you control. Same convenience, no profiling or tracking.
In fact, we do have them. They’re called “Gift cards”.
Since the day Amazon bought Whole Foods I’ve only used cash for my increasingly rare visits. But I sometimes buy a gift card for fifty dollars just in case I forget to bring cash.
The next time someone suggests a cashless society, remind them that surveillance and “payment cards” are not necessarily bound together.
Very well written. I appreciate you laying out the history of how we got here.
I remember being a kid in the 80s when credit cards were first unleashed in the United States. I remember how excited adults were. Strangely, I even remember the change in lifestyles of adults in my life, including my parents - All of a sudden they were able to have things they couldn't afford.
It's very interesting that these ideas and tactics started grabbing hold in the 1800s. Back then we were just tracked by individual stores. Now our data is shared across multi-national networks of scumbags preying on us.
I am grateful to you and all journalist who work diligently to keep the people properly informed. Thank you.
This piece is a powerful excavation — and closely aligned with something I’ve been building: a series applying structured cultural analysis to phenomena like credit, debt, and algorithmic control. Not just as economic systems, but as reality-shaping ones.
This post names a core dynamic: credit as cultural engineering, not just economic design. I’ll be exploring that — and more — in an upcoming series at postc4p.substack.com.
Thank you for naming the deeper history so clearly.
Great question—Apple talks a big game about privacy. They don’t track your purchases, they encrypt your data, and they say they don’t know what you buy. But here’s what they *don’t* tell you: Goldman Sachs, the bank behind the Apple Card, does see your purchases. Every dollar. Every transaction. Apple may keep your secrets—but your lender still has full access.
And the stores you shop at? They’re tracking you too. Loyalty cards, email receipts, apps—every tool they use builds a profile of what you buy, when, and how often.
So while Apple may not sell your data, you’re still deep in the surveillance economy. Banks watch. Retailers watch. Credit bureaus score.
Apple might put up privacy walls—but you’re still inside the system.
Very nice history of payment cards and their use by businesses to profile and manipulate citizens via their personal data and spending habits, but the whole thing could have been five times shorter. The fact that the phrase "it wasn't about convenience, but control" appears with sightly different wording at the end of parts 2 and 3 speaks to lazy writing, not to mention how many times the same points and data being collected and used to profile and manipulate are written over and over, sometimes multiple times in the same part. I skimmed through most of the article, looking for the stand-out points, like how credit scorers also sell your data (that's particularly insidious).
The timeline at the end was the best part, with the cast of characters being a helpful support. I would really like to have seen recommendations to break out of credit card vendors' grip, such as one commenter's suggestion to use gift cards to to mask spending habits. Are there any vendors we can trust? Could crypto be a cure (something I don't personally believe)?
The best suggestions I can make would definitely going with cash or the gift card route whenever possible. Most banks now allow you to create virtual cards which can be regenerated at will. Also check out privacy.com
Thank you for the comments and recommendations. I do not consider myself a lazy writer, but perhaps as an instructor I have given into the habit of repeating salient points. I tried to write for all, but sometimes come up short.
@John, I don't consider you lazy either, and even if I did I have no room to speak as I don't even write. I really appreciate you taking my feedback into consideration. Your piece is very important and worth reading, I hope my opinion that you could be more succinct and repeat yourself less will help make your future works more impactful and popular—that's all I'd like to have happen.
If convenience was the goal, it would be possible to have individualized Visa cards that were anonymous to the vendor. Not a charge card, but a debit card that you control. Same convenience, no profiling or tracking.
In fact, we do have them. They’re called “Gift cards”.
Since the day Amazon bought Whole Foods I’ve only used cash for my increasingly rare visits. But I sometimes buy a gift card for fifty dollars just in case I forget to bring cash.
The next time someone suggests a cashless society, remind them that surveillance and “payment cards” are not necessarily bound together.
Very well written. I appreciate you laying out the history of how we got here.
I remember being a kid in the 80s when credit cards were first unleashed in the United States. I remember how excited adults were. Strangely, I even remember the change in lifestyles of adults in my life, including my parents - All of a sudden they were able to have things they couldn't afford.
It's very interesting that these ideas and tactics started grabbing hold in the 1800s. Back then we were just tracked by individual stores. Now our data is shared across multi-national networks of scumbags preying on us.
I am grateful to you and all journalist who work diligently to keep the people properly informed. Thank you.
I love your statement “all of a sudden they were able to have things they couldn’t afford”. How spot on!
Thank you.
This piece is a powerful excavation — and closely aligned with something I’ve been building: a series applying structured cultural analysis to phenomena like credit, debt, and algorithmic control. Not just as economic systems, but as reality-shaping ones.
This post names a core dynamic: credit as cultural engineering, not just economic design. I’ll be exploring that — and more — in an upcoming series at postc4p.substack.com.
Thank you for naming the deeper history so clearly.
— @postc4p
#LotBO #LiturgyoftheBurntOut
Thank you for the comments.
Thank you!
Great question—Apple talks a big game about privacy. They don’t track your purchases, they encrypt your data, and they say they don’t know what you buy. But here’s what they *don’t* tell you: Goldman Sachs, the bank behind the Apple Card, does see your purchases. Every dollar. Every transaction. Apple may keep your secrets—but your lender still has full access.
And the stores you shop at? They’re tracking you too. Loyalty cards, email receipts, apps—every tool they use builds a profile of what you buy, when, and how often.
So while Apple may not sell your data, you’re still deep in the surveillance economy. Banks watch. Retailers watch. Credit bureaus score.
Apple might put up privacy walls—but you’re still inside the system.
With Apple’s privacy first policy, doesn’t using Apple Wallet with Apple’s credit card address most, if not all the concerns outlined in this article?
Very nice history of payment cards and their use by businesses to profile and manipulate citizens via their personal data and spending habits, but the whole thing could have been five times shorter. The fact that the phrase "it wasn't about convenience, but control" appears with sightly different wording at the end of parts 2 and 3 speaks to lazy writing, not to mention how many times the same points and data being collected and used to profile and manipulate are written over and over, sometimes multiple times in the same part. I skimmed through most of the article, looking for the stand-out points, like how credit scorers also sell your data (that's particularly insidious).
The timeline at the end was the best part, with the cast of characters being a helpful support. I would really like to have seen recommendations to break out of credit card vendors' grip, such as one commenter's suggestion to use gift cards to to mask spending habits. Are there any vendors we can trust? Could crypto be a cure (something I don't personally believe)?
The best suggestions I can make would definitely going with cash or the gift card route whenever possible. Most banks now allow you to create virtual cards which can be regenerated at will. Also check out privacy.com
Thank you for the comments and recommendations. I do not consider myself a lazy writer, but perhaps as an instructor I have given into the habit of repeating salient points. I tried to write for all, but sometimes come up short.
@John, I don't consider you lazy either, and even if I did I have no room to speak as I don't even write. I really appreciate you taking my feedback into consideration. Your piece is very important and worth reading, I hope my opinion that you could be more succinct and repeat yourself less will help make your future works more impactful and popular—that's all I'd like to have happen.