As major platforms and governments push for digital currencies (including CBDCs), Scott’s work serves as a defense of "analogue friction". He compares cash to emergency staircases in a skyscraper—unsexy and often ignored, until the high-tech systems fail and you need a reliable way out. Where to Read
: Unlike cash, which offers a "data black hole" for personal transactions, digital payments create a permanent digital footprint. Scott argues that this data is the ultimate prize for corporations like Google and Meta, who use it to map human habits and beliefs. Cloudmoney - Brett Scottepub
: Scott describes the shift to digital as a form of "corporate seep," where previously direct peer-to-peer relationships are replaced by institutionally mediated ones. This process often excludes the working class and marginalized groups who rely on the universal accessibility of cash. As major platforms and governments push for digital
In his book Cloudmoney: Cash, Cards, Crypto, and the War for Our Wallets , Brett Scott argues that the move toward a "cashless society" is not a natural evolution of technology, but a deliberate campaign by financial institutions and Big Tech to replace a public good (cash) with a private, surveilled, and extractive digital alternative. He defines "cloudmoney" as the digital money issued by the banking sector that requires the fusion of Big Finance and Big Tech to function, effectively turning every transaction into a data-gathering opportunity for corporations. Key Themes and Insights Scott argues that this data is the ultimate