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194 <p><a lang="it" class="btn btn-primary" href="/news" role="button" lang="it">Scopri di più &raquo;</a></p> 194 <p><a lang="it" class="btn btn-primary" href="/news" role="button" lang="it">Scopri di più &raquo;</a></p>
195 </div> 195 </div>
196 </div> 196 </div>
197 <div class="col-lg-12">
198 <h2 lang="en" id="overview">Taler system overview</h1>
199 <h2 lang="de">Das Taler-System im &Uuml;berblick</h1>
200 <h2 lang="fr" note="outdated"></h2>
201 <h2 lang="it" note="outdated"></h2>
202 <p lang="en">The Taler system consists of protocols and free software
203 implementations between a number of actors as illustrated in the
204 illustration on the right. Typical transactions involve the following steps:
205 </p>
206 <p lang="de" note="outdated"></p>
207 <p lang="fr" note="outdated"></p>
208 <p lang="it" note="outdated"></p>
209 <p>
210 <img src="images/system.svg" alt="system overview" style="float: right; margin: 50px 5px 5px 5px;" width="50%">
211 <ol>
212 <li lang="en">A customer instructs his <b>bank</b> to transfer funds
213 from his account to the Taler mint (top left). In the subject of
214 the transaction, he includes an authentication token from his
215 electronic <b>wallet</b>. In Taler terminology, the customer
216 creates a reserve at the mint.</li>
217 <li lang="de" note="outdated"></li>
218 <li lang="fr" note="outdated"></li>
219 <li lang="it" note="outdated"></li>
220 <li lang="en">Once the mint has received the transfer, it allows the
221 customer's electronic wallet to <b>withdraw</b> electronic coins.
222 The electronic coins are digital representations of the original
223 transfer. It is important to note that the mint does not learn
224 the "serial numbers" of the coins in this process, so it cannot
225 tell later which customer purchased what at which merchant.
226 The use of Taler does not change the currency or the
227 total value of the funds (except for fees which the mint may
228 charge for the service).</li>
229 <li lang="de" note="outdated"></li>
230 <li lang="fr" note="outdated"></li>
231 <li lang="it" note="outdated"></li>
232 <li lang="en">Once the customer has the digital coins in his wallet,
233 the wallet can be used to <b>spend</b> the coins with merchant
234 portals that support the Taler
235 payment system and accept the respective mint as a business
236 partner (bottom arrow). This creates a digital contract signed
237 by the customer's coins and the merchant. Assuming courts accept
238 cryptographic signatures, the customer can later use this digitally
239 signed contract in a court of law to prove the exact terms of
240 the contract and that he paid the respective amount. The customer
241 does not learn the banking details of the merchant, and Taler
242 does not require the merchant to learn the identity of the
243 customer. Naturally, the customer can spend any fraction of his
244 digital coins (the system takes care of customers getting
245 change).</li>
246 <li lang="de" note="outdated"></li>
247 <li lang="fr" note="outdated"></li>
248 <li lang="it" note="outdated"></li>
249 <li lang="en">Merchants receiving digital coins <b>deposits</b>
250 the respective receipts that resulted from the contract signing
251 with the customer at the mint to redeem the coins.
252 The deposit step does not reveal the learn the details of the
253 contract between the customer and the merchant or the identity
254 of the customer to the mint in any way. However, the mint
255 does learn the identity of the merchant via the provided bank
256 routing information. The merchant can, for example when
257 compelled by the state for taxation, provide information linking
258 the individual deposit to the respective contract signed by the
259 customer. Thus, the mint's database allows the state to enforce
260 that merchants pay applicable taxes (and do not engage in
261 illegal contracts).</li>
262 <li lang="de" note="outdated"></li>
263 <li lang="fr" note="outdated"></li>
264 <li lang="it" note="outdated"></li>
265 <li lang="en">Finally, the mint transfers funds corresponding to
266 the digital coins redeemed by the merchants to the merchant's
267 <b>bank</b> account. The mint may combine multiple small
268 transactions into one larger bank transfer.
269 The merchant can query the mint
270 about the relationship between the bank transfers and the
271 individual claims that were deposited.</li>
272 <li lang="de" note="outdated"></li>
273 <li lang="fr" note="outdated"></li>
274 <li lang="it" note="outdated"></li>
275 <li lang="en">Most importantly, the mint keeps cryptographic
276 proofs that allow it to demonstrate that it is operating
277 correctly to third parties. The system requires an external
278 <b>auditor</b>, such as a government-appointed financial regulatory
279 body, to frequently verify the mint's databases and check that
280 its bank balance matches the total value of the remaining coins
281 in circulation.</li>
282 <li lang="de" note="outdated"></li>
283 <li lang="fr" note="outdated"></li>
284 <li lang="it" note="outdated"></li>
285 <li lang="en">Without the auditor, the mint operators could
286 steal funds they are holding in reserve. Customers and merchants
287 cannot cheat each other or the mint. If any party's computers
288 are compromised, the financial damage is limited to the
289 respective party and proportional to the funds they
290 have in circulation during the period of the compromise.</li>
291 <li lang="de" note="outdated"></li>
292 <li lang="fr" note="outdated"></li>
293 <li lang="it" note="outdated"></li>
294 </ol>
295 </p>
296 </div>
297 <div class="col-lg-12"> 197 <div class="col-lg-12">
298 <h2 lang="en" id="taxability">Taler technology: About taxability, change and privacy</h1> 198 <h2 lang="en" id="taxability">Taler technology: About taxability, change and privacy</h1>
299 <h2 lang="de">Taler Technik: Steuern, Wechselgeld und Privatsph&auml;re</h1> 199 <h2 lang="de">Taler Technik: Steuern, Wechselgeld und Privatsph&auml;re</h1>