Ethereum researcher says staking reveals IP address sparking privacy concerns
A researcher at the Ethereum Foundation (EF) revealed that the IP addresses of Ether (ETH) stakers are monitored as part of a broader set of metadata, causing the cryptocurrency community to flag Ethereum for privacy concerns.
In an April 12 interview on the crypto podcast Bankless, EF researcher Justin Drake revealed that he learned this information “internally” — presumably at EF.
The metadata Drake referred to is used to track a wide range of things, he explained:
Drake’s comments appeared to have taken Bankless host Ryan Sean Adams by surprise.
Ethereum = 1984 chainJustin Drake, who works as the "Researcher" at the Ethereum Foundation, said today that when you stake your ETH, you can be tracked via IP address.He says he knows information "internally" that such databases exist. pic.twitter.com/2V6DvTobL3
“So it’s a fairly Sybil resistant dataset of your most involved Ethereum citizens?” Adams asked.
“Exactly,” Drake responded.
The conversation was initiated when Drake predicted that “special airdrops” may become available for solo stakers — but not the industry heavyweights:
The conversation caused a stir on Crypto Twitter.
Related: Crypto privacy is in greater jeopardy than ever before — here's why
One Twitter user referred to Ether as the “real surveillance coin,” while another mocked Drake by sarcastically rehashing him: “We can stop censorship by censoring those we don’t like.”
Another described the situation as “central governance to a T.”
To resolve the privacy concerns, one Twitter user suggested Ethereum users take on-chain privacy responsibilities into their own hands by installing a Linux operating system, using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) and storing cryptoassets on a hardware wallet such as Ledger:
DeFi
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