The theories come from concerned critics mostly. As far as I know there has been no discussion as to how the government might influence the functionality of a CBDC.
I don't get it. The government could just ban the things it doesn't want instead.
Also, nothing stops people from buying the goods in question by using a payment service provider/bank that provides a layer on top of the CDBC and automatically circulates the money for you behind the scenes to avoid the expiry.
“You could have a potentially […] darker world where the government decides that units of central bank money can be used to purchase some things, but not other things that it deems less desirable like say ammunition, or drugs, or pornography, or something of the sort“
Eswar Prasad, WEF Annual Meeting of the New Champions, June 2023
