Re: FV fine print

Excerpts from fv: 15-Dec-94 FV fine print Eric Hughes@remailer.net (403)

> * YOU shall retain computer data of  all  sales  for  at  least
> three  years  from  the date of the transaction. In the event
> you are not able to store such information, you  may  contact
> infohaus-info@fv.com to make storage arrangements.

> Interpretation is left to the reader.

FYI, this is a direct carryover from the standard terms & conditions of
a Visa/MasterCard merchant account.  Basically, this is a legal
necessity to process inquiries from the cardholder's issuing bank, etc. 
You'll note that we don't say you have to provide the information to us,
merely that you have to keep it -- that way, if there's a court action
requiring us to provide the information, we can point out that you are
required to have the information.  If you haven't kept it, you won't
have nearly as much of a problem with us as with the government.  In any
event, the most we can do is say, "oh, you violated our terms and
conditions, you can't be an FV seller any more."

What we're doing here, in essence, is allowing ANYONE to function as a
Visa/MC merchant, with the addition of the 90 day hold and a few other
things.  In order to do that, our terms and conditions have to ensure
that you comply with the Visa/MC terms and conditions, that's all.  --
Nathaniel

From: Nathaniel Borenstein <nsb@nsb.fv.com>

   FYI, this is a direct carryover from the standard terms & conditions of
   a Visa/MasterCard merchant account.  

Now that's what I thought it might be, and I'm not particularly
surprised.  If you use Visa, you have to play by Visa's rules.

On cypherpunks, though, information lifetime is just one of those
generally interesting questions.

This information storage requirement is reminiscent of the Bank
Secrecy Act of (I think) 1974.  Is this clause from Visa/MC a direct
(or indirect, even) result of that act, or is this just coincidence?
This is banking arcanity, not crypto arcanity, and I'm not expecting
an answer very hard.

Eric