I really hope this suceeds. I dream of a day where I can shop online and pay as conveniently as Chinese QR code based payment systems, but with full privacy. I've followed GNUnet for years, and what inspires me about it is that it is the only project I've ever seen that takes the problem of The Internet is Broken[1] seriously and attempts to truely solve the whole issue instead of just addressing part of one layer like i2p and so on. Naturally, they bit off more than they can chew and it remains a research project with serious performance issues, crypto code quality issues, etc.

But out of GNUNet sprung GNU Taler which looks like it has a more promising future than even GNUnet it's self, since they have a prototype and have actually shown it to bankers.

If you happen to be a bazillionare, consider supporting these projects :) or if you're a banker, consider adopting the world's first consumer protecting payment system that extends the traditional system without providing a convenient vehicle for crime like cryptocurrencies.

Disclaimer: I'm not an an expert on anything, just a curious person.

[1] https://secushare.org/broken-internet

"GNU Taler is a Free Software payment system that preserves the privacy of payers while ensuring that income is visible to authorities."

I get that we're aiming to be compliant here, but this seems to run very contrary to GNU ideals of freedom and privacy.