Ever notice how bad it feels to see a charge for something you don’t use?
That feeling isn’t accidental.
Modern fiat payment systems are designed to take control away from you.
You consent once, then the system keeps extracting—silently, indefinitely—while calling it a “subscription.”
This isn’t value exchange.
It’s inertia harvesting.
Approval is one-time
Extraction is permanent
Cancellation is deliberately hard
Forgetfulness becomes revenue
The product isn’t the software.
The product is your credit card on file.
When payment no longer requires explicit consent, the system stops serving users and starts owning them—one unnoticed charge at a time.
That hollow, irritated feeling when you spot it on your statement?
That’s your intuition recognizing loss of agency.
Good systems don’t need to trap users.
They earn permission—every time.
#FiatRails #DarkPatterns #Subscriptions #UserConsent #PaymentSystems #Bitcoin #Agency #DesignEthics
