After the Uniswap protocol (UNI), we learn that MetaMask will now collect some information from its users. Indeed, according to the new privacy policy of ConsenSys, its parent company, the IP data of users of the Ethereum wallet (ETH) will now be collected when they use the default RPC of Infura.
ConsenSys changes its privacy policy
In an update to its privacy policy on November 23, ConsenSys, the parent company of the popular MetaMask wallet, announced that it will now collect users’ IP addresses when they use Infura’s default RPC (Remote Procedure Call).
Infura is a series of tools developed for the Ethereum blockchain (ETH), which includes the Truffle development environment, Diligence Blockchain Security and of course MetaMask.
In addition, we learn from ConsenSys’ privacy policy page that the company collects certain information when a user visits the Codefi website or uses its services, which includes identity and contact information, transaction history, and information related to the KYC (Know Your Customer) process.
ConsenSys announced an update to its privacy policy on November 23 (including metamask infura and more): When you use Infura as your default RPC provider in MetaMask, Infura will collect your IP address and your Ethereum wallet address when you send a transaction. pic.twitter.com/cBsqU2374o
– Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) November 24, 2022
As shown in the above screenshot, you can work around this new data collection by setting up your own Ethereum node or using another RPC provider for MetaMask.
If you are curious and want to run your own node, we invite you to turn to the official Ethereum documentation on this subject, entirely in French and accessible in a popularized way.
To turn to another RPC, you can find some nodes on Ethereum Nodes. However, be aware that if you decide to use a third-party RPC, the latter may collect some of your data.
In the meantime, you can preserve your location and IP address by using a VPN. We invite you to read our NordVPN tutorial for this purpose.
The crypto community is very dissatisfied
Of course, such news has not pleased the Web3 community, which by definition seeks to preserve its privacy. This is the case, for example, of a moderator of the game PixelVault:
It was fun whilst it lasted @MetaMask but I value my privacy in this space. Changing wallets ASAP.
– gooniebrad (@gooniebrad) November 24, 2022
” It’s been fun so far, but I value my privacy in this space. I’m changing my wallet as soon as possible. “
However, a MetaMask developer intervened under Wu’s Blockchain tweet in order to calm things down and put the situation into perspective:
I think we can get this fixed soon. We are not using IP addresses even if they are being temporarily stored, which they don’t need to be, as we’re not using them for anything.
– Dan Finlay (@danfinlay) November 24, 2022
” I think we will be able to solve this problem soon. We don’t use IP addresses, even if they are stored temporarily, which is not necessary, because we don’t use them for anything. “
The news comes just days after we learned that Uniswap, a leading decentralised finance (DeFi) protocol, was collecting the on-chain addresses of its users in order to “verify that its users were not participating in illegal activities. “
