{"id":9176,"date":"2018-11-24T12:00:47","date_gmt":"2018-11-24T20:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/?p=9176"},"modified":"2021-11-18T05:01:11","modified_gmt":"2021-11-18T13:01:11","slug":"9176","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/9176\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Crypto Anonymously part 1:  Bitcoin Isn\u2019t as Anonymous as You Think"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Back in 2012, the FBI published a <a href=\"https:\/\/cryptome.org\/2012\/05\/fbi-bitcoin.pdf\">now-infamous report on Bitcoin<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It called Bitcoin a <i>\u201cvenue for individuals to generate, transfer, launder, and steal illicit funds with some anonymity.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not only did it stamp Bitcoin with an \u2018unlawful\u2019 reputation, it spread a huge misconception: that bitcoin is anonymous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So let\u2019s clear a few things up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bitcoin is definitely more private than a bank transaction. It cuts out the middleman and it\u2019s difficult to link a transaction to your name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b><i>But Bitcoin is not Anonymous\u2026 <\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s pseudonymous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a small difference, but it has big implications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Using bitcoin is like making a transaction with a pseudonym or a fake name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Problem is, if someone can link you to that pseudonym, they can see every transaction you\u2019ve ever made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s a real-life metaphor:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling famously published a novel in secret using the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. For a long time, she was effectively writing anonymously. But as soon as someone cracked the pseudonym, the novel was instantly linked to its real author.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She was only anonymous until someone pierced her pseudonym.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same is true of Bitcoin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>How Bitcoin Works<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To understand why, we need to get our head around <i>how <\/i>the cryptocurrency works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s say my friend wants to send me some bitcoin. I give her my \u201cpublic address.\u201d It\u2019s a long scrambled mess of code that tells her where to send the cryptocurrency. It looks something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>1GsOmhLr0FbBpNco1NDar6sSV8tsHaKF6kd<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So far, it seems pretty private, right? There are no names involved. No banks tracking who we are. That scrambled address is my pseudonym.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So my friend sends the money and the transaction is recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>The Blockchain Contains Every Bitcoin Transaction Ever Made<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can think of blockchain like a giant spreadsheet, except it can be accessed by anyone in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whenever a bitcoin transaction is made, it is recorded on the blockchain for all to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That transaction with my friend is now permanent and irreversible. It can\u2019t be altered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>So What? It\u2019s Just a Mess of Code, Right?<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">True. But let\u2019s say I use that same bitcoin address to buy plane tickets online or donate to a charity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Worse, let\u2019s say I use it to do something illegal, like buy drugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That same scrambled address shows up again and again on the blockchain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If someone knows my public address, they can search for it and see every bitcoin transaction I\u2019ve ever made, how much was involved, and which other \u201cpublic addresses\u201d I\u2019ve interacted with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If someone knows my \u201cpseudonym,\u201d they can trace my activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Privacy News Online has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/tax-authority-demands-customer-data-from-bitcoin-exchange-demands-trackability-of-everybodys-past-present-and-future\/\">reported in the past<\/a>, the authorities can demand your bitcoin transaction data from crypto exchanges. If the authorities did investigate, they might then discover that I made a transaction with a public address linked to a drugs market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is an extreme example, but it should serve as a reminder that bitcoin transactions are not <i>fully <\/i>anonymous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Your bitcoin transactions are only private until someone pierces your pseudonym.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><b>What Should I do Instead?<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The simple advice here is to use a different public address every time you make a transaction. That means using a different bitcoin wallet for each bitcoin interaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alternatively, you can use a cryptocurrency with superior privacy features, like Monero or Zcash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the coming weeks, I\u2019ll dive deeper into this topic. We\u2019ll cover privacy coins in more detail and look at some best practices to stay safe and private.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b><i>Crypto curious?:<\/i><\/b><i> Get started with<\/i> <i>Block Explorer\u2019s beginner\u2019s guide to bitcoin.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Back in 2012, the FBI published a now-infamous report on Bitcoin. It called Bitcoin a \u201cvenue for individuals to generate, transfer, launder, and steal illicit funds with some anonymity.\u201d Not only did it stamp Bitcoin with an \u2018unlawful\u2019 reputation, it spread a huge misconception: that bitcoin is anonymous. So let\u2019s clear a few things up. &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/9176\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;How to Use Crypto Anonymously part 1:  Bitcoin Isn\u2019t as Anonymous as You Think&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":9289,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,845],"tags":[992,991,931,993,994],"class_list":["post-9176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cryptocurrency","category-guides","tag-blockchain","tag-btc","tag-crypto","tag-monero","tag-zcash"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.9 (Yoast SEO v26.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Use Crypto Anonymously part 1: Bitcoin Isn\u2019t as Anonymous as You Think<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Back in 2012, the FBI published a now-infamous report on Bitcoin. It called Bitcoin a \u201cvenue for individuals to generate, transfer, launder, and steal\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/9176\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Use Crypto Anonymously part 1: Bitcoin Isn\u2019t as Anonymous as You Think\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Back in 2012, the FBI published a now-infamous report on Bitcoin. It called Bitcoin a \u201cvenue for individuals to generate, transfer, launder, and steal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/9176\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"PIA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/privateinternetaccess\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-11-24T20:00:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-11-18T13:01:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/bitcoin-not-anonymous.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ben Brown\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/_Ben_Brown\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@buyvpnservice\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ben Brown\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/9176\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/9176\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ben Brown\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4523b1942d197cf2b5d22b8b9992d1e4\"},\"headline\":\"How to Use Crypto Anonymously part 1: Bitcoin Isn\u2019t as Anonymous as You Think\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-11-24T20:00:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-11-18T13:01:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/9176\/\"},\"wordCount\":629,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/9176\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/bitcoin-not-anonymous.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"blockchain\",\"btc\",\"crypto\",\"monero\",\"zcash\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Cryptocurrency\",\"Guides\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/9176\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/9176\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/9176\/\",\"name\":\"How to Use Crypto Anonymously part 1: Bitcoin Isn\u2019t as Anonymous as You Think\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/9176\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/9176\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.privateinternetaccess.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/bitcoin-not-anonymous.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-11-24T20:00:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-11-18T13:01:11+00:00\",\"description\":\"Back in 2012, the FBI published a now-infamous report on Bitcoin. 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