Stardate 20011228.1035

(On Screen): Glenn Reynolds is concerned that the Euro will eventually contain tracking electronics. He says:

This will let them spot counterfeits, but it will also make it easy to track the movement of currency -- which may well eliminate the anonymity that is a major benefit of cash.

Yes and no. There's much less to this than meets the eye. I wrote about this last July. But I'd like to add that the ID card I used to carry at Qualcomm had the same technology in it, and the cards could only be recognized by valid readers from a range of no more than an inch. So if you're thinking of satellite tracking of Euro notes, forget about it.