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Government controlled \u201cprogrammable money should terrify you\u201d, says social media influencer and TV Host Layah Heilpern, who sees central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) as a way for banks and governments to reign control over their people.<\/p>\n
In an interview<\/a> on Aug. 19 with British news outlet GB News, Heilpern, who also released Undressing Bitcoin: A Revealing Guide To The World’s Most Revolutionary Asset in September 2021, said the widespread rollout of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) from nation states is on its way, and that it could lead to the financial censorship of citizens in the future. <\/p>\n Heilpern stated that as CBDCs are essentially programmable cryptocurrencies that run on blockchains, they could potentially be \u201cprogrammed against you\u201d at the whims of the centralized authority behind them. <\/p>\n \u201cIf for whatever reason you say the wrong thing, because you know we\u2019re seeing censorship increasing, then that money can essentially be programmed to be used against you.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Heilpern added that while a lot of people might find this concept to be \u201cquite bizarre,\u201d it\u2019s very realistic given the restrictions that were enforced on unvaccinated people by governments:<\/p>\n \u201cWith a CBDC, all [the government] have to do really is program that money so you can\u2019t spend it on certain things.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Heilpern also said that while CBDCs will be marketed as \u201cbetter for the environment,\u201d and serve as a \u201csolution to rising inflation rates,\u201d that\u2019s simply \u201ca lie.\u201d <\/p>\n Following up on the interview via a Twitter post,\u00a0 Heilpern didn’t mince her words as she stated that the “Central Bank Digital Currencies will be marketed as better for the environment and the solution to inflation. It’s a lie. Money is the energy that fuels your life; so programmable money should terrify you.” <\/p>\n Central Bank Digital Currencies will be marketed as better for the environment and the solution to inflation.<\/p>\n It’s a lie. <\/p>\n Money is the energy that fuels your life; so programmable money should terrify you. @GBNEWS<\/a> is the only UK platform talking about this. pic.twitter.com\/AHulCEshNt<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Layah Heilpern (@LayahHeilpern) August 18, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Notably however, such concerns around financial censorship have been especially prevalent with crypto in general of late, with the recent Tornado Cash debacle, which saw the U.S. Treasury sanction ETH and USDC addresses associated with the Ethereum-based privacy tool.<\/p>\n According to an Oct. 2021 report, 110 countries are \u201cat some stage\u201d of CBDC development,<\/a> with the Bahamas\u2019 Sand Dollar CBDC<\/a> being the first of its kind to be rolled out in Oct. 2020.<\/p>\n But perhaps the most controversial CBDC is China\u2019s \u201cYuan\u201d (e-CNY),<\/a> issued by the People\u2019s Bank of China, which had its pilot version launched in Apr. 2020<\/a>, with some suggesting the ban on crypto was conducted to make way for the digital Yuan. <\/p>\n The Bank of Russia has also begun CBDC testing<\/a> and is aiming to have one launched before their presidential election in 2024.<\/p>\n\n