abstract.txt (1558B)
1 GNU Taler is a payment system that offers privacy-preserving payments for 2 buyers while ensuring income-transparency for sellers. Our payment system does 3 not use a blockchain and can process tens of thousands of payments on a single 4 computer with negligible costs per transaction. Modern cryptography is used to 5 implement digital cash held decentralized in self-custody. 6 7 Because spending digital cash does not require authentication, GNU Taler 8 offers superior usability compared to other payment solutions. Building on 9 ideas from Oral Information Management (OIM), we created a version of the 10 Taler wallet that does not require users to be able to read, and have 11 conducted usability studies with illiterate and innumerate people that were 12 quickly able to correctly use the GNU Taler wallet for payments despite being 13 unable to read 2-digit numbers. 14 15 As Free/Libre Open Source software we are able to develop the solution in 16 collaboration with a growing group of academics, volunteers, non-profits and 17 small businesses. This allows our small team to drive an outsized number of 18 innovations in a field where proprietary systems have long stifled 19 innovation. As a result, secure payments to offline merchants, programmable 20 money, business contracts using secure multiparty computation, subscriptions, 21 coupons, privacy-preserving tax deductable donations and even post-quantum 22 cryptography are other present or upcoming features. 23 24 The payment system is operational today in Swizerland (eCHF), and is expected 25 to be operated by GLS for Euros starting in Q3'2025.