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IDProjectCategoryView StatusLast Update
0010536TalerGeneralpublic2025-12-07 10:55
ReporterStefan Assigned Tosebasjm  
PriorityhighSeveritytextReproducibilityalways
Status closedResolutionfixed 
Target Version1.3Fixed in Version1.3 
Summary0010536: Terms of service (ToS) for the Taler Merchant Backend [2h]
DescriptionThe Taler Merchant needs Terms of service for the merchants (sellers, beneficiaries) with a first pass in English and quick-and-dirty collection of basic rules like e.g. data storage in EU countries (but not cross-border to non-EU contries), hosting on secure servers (but not for eternity and without any warranty for data storage), code safety as-is (but without warranty as in the GPL v3), free software (free as in freedom, but under the full responsiblity of the merchant).
Steps To ReproduceThe result is an RST file to be included in the git repository.
Additional Information8h have been invested for the English draft version
TagsNo tags attached.

Activities

Stefan

2025-11-05 22:03

developer   ~0026313

The Swiss equivalent to GDPR "Verordnung über den Datenschutz (DSV)" is fine with Germany as country to obtain and host personal data (like merchant names and addresses, bank account numbers).

Cross-border data exchange and storage of merchant configuration and data have to be mentioned, though, as hosting of the Taler Merchant backend will be done on premises at Hetzner in Germany. No data export will go to third-party non-EU countries. Data has not to be treated according to the EU's Data Act.

vecirex

2025-11-12 16:08

manager   ~0026395

This might help: https://www.cyon.ch/blog/neues-datenschutzgesetz-schweiz

Stefan

2025-11-13 20:50

developer   ~0026431

We are currently safe on data storage in Germany concerning private data of natural persons, t.i. users' personal data (see https://www.bj.admin.ch/bj/de/home/staat/datenschutz/internationales/anerkennung-staaten.html). But the Taler Merchant Backend does not even collect personal data of individual users, it is merchants who are entering their business data. Thus, https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/fga/2020/1998/de (Neues Datenschutzgesetz nDSG) is not applicable in our case.

Work in progress, soon to be finished.

Stefan

2025-11-13 21:05

developer   ~0026432

Just to be clear about this use-case: The Taler Merchant Backend is not collecting names of buyers. There is data like street, building name, town, country ... but no individual names of payers. No relation between a person and the purchase can be established with the data collected in the backend.

Stefan

2025-11-19 23:03

developer   ~0026553

Work to be accomplished by tomorrow. Still 2 hours to go, the boss wanted me to dedicate 8h for the ToS draft in English, so the deadline is nearing.
I can imagine the RST file should be placed in /taler-typescript-core/packages/merchant-backoffice-ui/

Stefan

2025-11-21 08:45

developer   ~0026564

A minor bug was solved during a QC meeting on behalf of testing and showcasing KYC status and configuration of merchant bank accounts in the Merchant Backend. The terms generator for the RST files in /exchange/contrib printed a PDF file as attached. Consequently, "GNU Taler team" was replaced by "Taler Operations AG, Biel/Bienne".

Stefan

2025-11-21 08:50

developer   ~0026565

ToS for the Taler Merchant Backend are done as draft. This was accomplished within the 8 hours originally allocated for the task.
It is recommended to place the resulting RST file merchant-tos-v0.en.rst either in /taler-typescript-core/packages/merchant-backoffice-ui/ or in the exchange.git at /exchange/contrib to keep together Terms of service for all different apps, web pages, app stores and Taler Exchanges solely at one location.

Stefan

2025-11-21 11:51

developer   ~0026566

RST2PDF renders a PDF without issues. The ToS draft is in the exchange.git now.
To be reviewed by CG --> assigned

Christian Grothoff

2025-11-21 14:55

manager   ~0026567

Domain name is just 'my.taler-ops.ch,' not 'www...'. Also you mixed up exchange ToS with the self-provisioned merchant ToS, so I removed anything that would be part of the exchange ToS, simplifying it quite a bit. Also clarified the scope, and moved the RST file to the merchant.git. IMO ready to roll ;-)

Christian Grothoff

2025-11-21 14:58

manager   ~0026569

I still need to add the /terms endpoint to the C code, and then we need to think about integrating that a tiny bit with the self-provisioning sign-up screen.

Christian Grothoff

2025-11-22 08:47

manager   ~0026576

The latest merchant.git now has a new endpoint /terms and /privacy.
We should show a link to "/terms" on the self-provisioning page, maybe combined with a small checkbox "[X] accept terms of service" (and turn the last 3 words into a link).
At this point I don't care about the SPA submitting the checkbox value to the backend (it may, of course), but we should just disable the submit button unless the user checked the box. So basically, I'm asking for the minimal standard ToS acceptor to be added to the SPA page where a new instance is first created.

sebasjm

2025-11-24 14:28

developer   ~0026595

3c86919f1..fead394c8

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
2025-10-28 15:52 Stefan New Issue
2025-10-28 15:52 Stefan Status new => assigned
2025-10-28 15:52 Stefan Assigned To => Stefan
2025-11-05 22:03 Stefan Note Added: 0026313
2025-11-12 16:08 vecirex Note Added: 0026395
2025-11-13 20:50 Stefan Note Added: 0026431
2025-11-13 20:50 Stefan Summary Terms of service (ToS) for the Taler Merchant Backend [8h] => Terms of service (ToS) for the Taler Merchant Backend [4h]
2025-11-13 21:05 Stefan Note Added: 0026432
2025-11-18 21:31 Stefan Relationship added related to 0010630
2025-11-19 23:03 Stefan Note Added: 0026553
2025-11-19 23:04 Stefan Summary Terms of service (ToS) for the Taler Merchant Backend [4h] => Terms of service (ToS) for the Taler Merchant Backend [2h]
2025-11-19 23:04 Stefan Additional Information Updated
2025-11-21 08:45 Stefan Note Added: 0026564
2025-11-21 08:45 Stefan File Added: Merchant_ToS_shown_at_KYC_status_form.png
2025-11-21 08:50 Stefan Note Added: 0026565
2025-11-21 11:51 Stefan Note Added: 0026566
2025-11-21 11:53 Stefan Description Updated
2025-11-21 11:53 Stefan Steps to Reproduce Updated
2025-11-21 11:53 Stefan Additional Information Updated
2025-11-21 11:53 Stefan Assigned To Stefan => Christian Grothoff
2025-11-21 14:55 Christian Grothoff Note Added: 0026567
2025-11-21 14:58 Christian Grothoff Note Added: 0026569
2025-11-22 08:47 Christian Grothoff Note Added: 0026576
2025-11-22 08:47 Christian Grothoff Assigned To Christian Grothoff => sebasjm
2025-11-24 14:28 sebasjm Status assigned => resolved
2025-11-24 14:28 sebasjm Resolution open => fixed
2025-11-24 14:28 sebasjm Note Added: 0026595
2025-12-03 10:36 Stefan Relationship deleted related to 0010630
2025-12-06 01:03 Christian Grothoff Fixed in Version => 1.3
2025-12-06 01:03 Christian Grothoff Target Version => 1.3
2025-12-07 10:55 Christian Grothoff Project Taler-Business => Taler
2025-12-07 10:55 Christian Grothoff Category legal => General
2025-12-07 10:55 Christian Grothoff Status resolved => closed