GNU Taler

{{Short description|Electronic payment system}}

{{Infobox software

| logo = GNU Taler logo 2020.svg

| logo alt =

| logo caption =

| screenshot =

| screenshot size =

| screenshot alt =

| caption =

| collapsible =

| author =

| developer = Christian Grothoff and Florian Dold

| released =

| discontinued =

| ver layout =

| latest release version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q30179845|P348|P548=Q2804309}}

| latest release date = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q30179845|P348|P548=Q2804309|P577}}

| latest preview version = {{wikidata|property|preferred|references|edit|Q30179845|P348|P548=Q51930650}}

| latest preview date = {{wikidata|qualifier|preferred|single|Q30179845|P348|P548=Q51930650|P577}}

| repo = {{URL|git.taler.net}}

| programming language =

| engine =

| operating system =

| platform =

| included with =

| size =

| language =

| language count =

| language footnote =

| genre = Microtransaction and electronic payment

| license = Clients: GPL-3.0-or-later{{cite web|url=https://docs.taler.net/global-licensing.html|title=Taler licensing information}}{{cite web|url=https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Taler#tab=Details|title=Taler - Free Software Directory}}
Servers: AGPL-3.0-or-later
Libraries: LGPL-2.1-or-later

| alexa =

| website = {{URL|taler.net}}

| standard =

| AsOf =

}}

GNU Taler is a free software-based microtransaction and electronic payment system.{{cite web|url=https://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=GNU-Taler-0.0.0|title=GNU Taler 0.0.0 Released: GNU Tries To Get Into Electronic Payments}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/06/06/gnu_cryptocurrency_aims_at_the_mainstream_economy_not_the_black_market/|title=GNU cryptocurrency aims at 'the mainstream economy not the black market'|website=The Register }} Unlike most other decentralized payment systems, GNU Taler does not use a blockchain.{{cite web|url=https://taler.net/en/faq.html|title=FAQ: How is Taler related to Bitcoin or Blockchains?}} A blind signature is used to protect the privacy of users as it prevents the exchange from knowing which coin it signed for which customer.

The project is led by Florian Dold and Christian Grothoff{{Cite web|url=https://ercim-news.ercim.eu/en106/special/gnu-taler-ethical-online-payments-for-the-internet-age|title=GNU Taler: Ethical Online Payments for the Internet Age|website=ercim-news.ercim.eu|access-date=2020-04-23}} of Taler Systems SA. Taler is short for the "Taxable Anonymous Libre Economic Reserves"{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D4gzDAAAQBAJ&q=%22GNU+Taler%22+-wikipedia&pg=PR11|title=Cost of Freedom|last=Sprint|first=Book|date=2016-05-19|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-1-365-08698-4|language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.golem.de/news/halbanonymes-bezahlsystem-gnu-taler-soll-kryptowaehrungen-gerechter-machen-1606-121323.html|title=Halbanonymes Bezahlsystem: GNU Taler soll Kryptowährungen gerechter machen - Golem.de|website=www.golem.de|language=de-DE|access-date=2020-01-03}} and alludes to the Taler coins in Germany during the Early Modern period. It has vocal support from GNU Project founder Richard Stallman.{{cite web|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2019/09/17/richard_stallman_final_interview/|title=Stallman's final interview as FSF president: Last week we quizzed him over Microsoft visit. Now he quits top roles amid rape remarks outcry|website=The Register }} Stallman has described the program as "designed to be anonymous for the payer, but payees are always identified."{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/03/facebook-abusing-data-law-privacy-big-tech-surveillance|title=A radical proposal to keep your personal data safe|website=TheGuardian.com |date=3 April 2018}} In a paper published in Security, Privacy, and Applied Cryptography Engineering, GNU Taler is described as meeting ethical considerations – the paying customer is anonymous while the merchant is identified and taxable.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=s6KwDQAAQBAJ&q=%22GNU+Taler%22+-wikipedia&pg=PA252|title=Security, Privacy, and Applied Cryptography Engineering: 6th International Conference, SPACE 2016, Hyderabad, India, December 14-18, 2016, Proceedings|last1=Carlet|first1=Claude|last2=Hasan|first2=M. Anwar|last3=Saraswat|first3=Vishal|date=2016-12-09|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-3-319-49445-6|language=en}}{{Cite thesis|title=The GNU Taler system : practical and provably secure electronic payments|url=https://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-02138082|publisher=Université Rennes 1|date=2019-02-25|degree=phdthesis|language=en|first=Florian|last=Dold}} An implementation is provided by Taler Systems SA.{{Cite web|url=https://www.media.mit.edu/posts/digital-cash-and-privacy-what-are-the-alternatives-to-libra/|title=Digital cash and privacy: What are the alternatives to Libra?|last=Pentland|first=Alex 'Sandy'|website=MIT Media Lab|access-date=2019-12-28}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.netzwoche.ch/news/2019-12-01/kampf-der-kryptowaehrungen-das-sind-die-alternativen-zu-libra|title=Kampf der Kryptowährungen – das sind die Alternativen zu Libra|website=www.netzwoche.ch|date=30 November 2019 |language=de|access-date=2020-01-03}}