ANALYSIS: ‘Slippery Slope’: Experts Warn About Pitfalls of Central Bank Digital Currencies

ANALYSIS: ‘Slippery Slope’: Experts Warn About Pitfalls of Central Bank Digital Currencies
The Bank of Canada is shown in Ottawa in a file photo. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick
Matthew Horwood
Updated:
0:00

As the Bank of Canada seeks consultation from Canadians on its design of a potential central bank digital currency (CBDC), digital privacy experts are warning that the technology could be used by governments to track payments and freeze dissidents’ bank accounts.

“CBDCs could be a nightmare for democracy, for civil liberties, and potentially all sorts of human rights,” Ori Freiman, a post-doctoral fellow at McMaster University’s Digital Society Lab, who is researching the responsible implementation of emerging technologies, said in an interview.