Great topic!

I totally get the privacy concerns. It's tough to shake the feeling that CBDCs could open the door to unprecedented surveillance if not designed with extreme care. The 'efficiency' argument often feels secondary when you consider the potential for governments to control how and when you spend your money. That's a scary thought.

For me, the biggest threat is definitely the potential for programmability and censorship at a granular level. Imagine a CBDC that expires, or that can't be spent on certain 'undesirable' goods or services. That's not just a privacy issue; it's a fundamental erosion of financial freedom.

How to push back? Education is key, showing people what real decentralized money offers. Also, continuing to build robust, truly private alternatives in the crypto space. If there's enough adoption for decentralized solutions, maybe the CBDC push won't have the teeth some fear.

Are there any CBDC models out there that you guys think could work without completely sacrificing privacy, or is it fundamentally incompatible?