IBM Makes Proposals For a Digital Euro Implementation

In the wake of IBM’s recent guidelines on the rollout of a digital euro, aimed at bolstering the European Central Bank’s (ECB) digital currency initiatives, concerns around privacy and civil liberties are becoming increasingly urgent. While IBM meticulously outlines a series of recommendations for the integration of the digital euro into the Eurozone’s financial infrastructure, it leaves open questions about how these measures might compromise individual freedoms.

IBM’s blueprint, which aligns with the European Commission’s (EC) legislative proposals, emphasizes the importance of building on “existing rails.” Yet, the company’s push for greater expansion raises concerns that a centralized digital currency could exacerbate surveillance capabilities and governmental control over personal finances. The focus on “simplicity” as a catalyst for adoption conveniently omits a detailed exploration of the trade-offs in privacy and autonomy that may result from this supposed simplicity.

While IBM foresees a “multi-level” intermediary landscape for the digital euro, the role of intermediaries itself poses potential risks. Emphasizing the collaboration between large and small intermediaries to facilitate adoption is all well and good, but there is little mention of how this ecosystem would protect end-users from data collection, tracking, or worse.