Telegraph, 8 May 2015: 'Privacy First wants coin back. Demand: pay cash at parking machine'

"For the sake of privacy, it should be possible to pay cash at parking meters. If parking manager Cition will not convert the parking meters, the Privacy First foundation will file another lawsuit. This was confirmed by chairman Bas Filippini of the interest group for people concerned about their privacy. Since the summer of 2013, digital parking has been introduced in Amsterdam, requiring motorists to enter their license plate number in the parking machine. At the same time, the option to pay in cash was discontinued. The vast majority of parkers PIN their parking tax due or use an app on their mobile phone to pay the charges. Only seven per cent of parkers paid cash, research conducted by the municipality at the time showed.

Earlier, Filippini successfully filed a lawsuit against Cition over the mandatory introduction of the license plate at the parking meter. According to Privacy First, this gave the municipality unwanted access to the location where the parker parked his car, which Filippini objected to. The court ruled in Privacy First's favour and ruled that the fine imposed on Filippini should be shredded. Because the payment receipt from the vending machine, without entering the license plate number, could indeed prove that the parking time had been paid for, the judge found.

But now Privacy First is turning against another thorn in its side: mandatory PIN payments. Even if someone refuses to enter their license plate number because of privacy concerns, they can still be identified through the bank transaction , Filippini said. In Privacy First's view, the right to anonymity in public spaces also includes the right to anonymous payment.

In addition, the foundation chairman stressed that cash is still legal tender in the Netherlands. Filippini thinks he is even entitled to the cash payment, and he wants this to be tested by the courts. The government is increasingly criminalising cash , Filippini explained. Already, you are not allowed to travel around with more than 10,000 euros without prior warning. In Spain, cash transactions of more than 2,500 euros are no longer allowed anywhere!

Today, the notice of objection plops on the mat at Cition. Filippini awaits the response."

Source: Telegraph 8 May 2015, p. 14. Also published at http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/24018301/___Muntgeld_moet_terug___.html, 8 May 2015.