Matt Welch on the Loss of Financial Privacy
Financial anonymity as we know it was invented in Geneva, Switzerland, in the 16th century, by Protestant Reformation leader John Calvin. In converting his pretty mountain lake town into a refuge for Europeans fleeing marauding Catholic governments, Calvin loosened papal restrictions on lending at interest and embraced individual privacy as a means of self-defense against a predatory state. But now, writes Reason editor in chief Matt Welch, American politicians are systemically destroying the right to confidential banking.
