ConsenSys says it collects user data related to its on-chain wallet service MetaMask, following a similar announcement by decentralized exchange Uniswap
This privacy policy ("Policy") describes how ConsenSys Software Inc. … Tim Copeland / The Block : DEX aggregator 1inch to protect MetaMask users from frontrunning Ken Macon / Reclaim The Net : MetaMask starts tracking user IPs Ben Munster / Decrypt : Is It Wrong for DeFi Projects to Track Data? Jamie Redman / Bitcoin News : Ethereum Software Company Consensys Collects User Data, Privacy Policy Discloses Hassan Maishera / CoinJournal : This week in crypto: Binance's $1 billion recovery fund already has contributors Daniel Jensen / The Capital : All your data belongs to us Energii / NFT Evening : Metamask Now Tracks Your IP Address...Has Dentralization Gone AWOL? Savannah Fortis / Cointelegraph : ConsenSys addresses MetaMask IP collection, claims nothing has changed Javed / CoinGape : MetaMask Clarifies On ConsenSys Privacy Policy Update Lachlan Keller / Forkast : MetaMask says “we changed nothing” in response to criticism update collects more user data Wayne Jones / crypto.news : MetaMask's new privacy policy infuriates crypto community Naga Avan-Nomayo / Ethereum World News : Ethereum developer ConsenSys said Infura stores IP addresses from MetaMask users Shalini Nagarajan / Blockworks : ConsenSys Wants Your IP Address, Crypto Wallet, Bank Account Sead-Fadilpasic / Cryptonews : Leading Crypto Wallet MetaMask Reveals it Collects User Data, Faces Backlash From Community Vishal Chawla / The Block : ConsenSys says it collects IP addresses of MetaMask users via Infura Tweets: @metamask : The language in our privacy policy was updated on November 23rd. Nothing has changed in the way MetaMask and Infura operate. Here's a statement clarifying what we do with user data (spoiler: nothing). https://consensys.net/... Wu Blockchain / @wublockchain : 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. https://twitter.com/... @danfinlay : @WuBlockchain 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. @haydenzadams : If people read our our blog post instead of angry Twitter threads they would realize Uniswap web app both: 1) does not track IP 2) actually prevents your IP address from being tracked by third party apis like infura and trm using a proxy server https://twitter.com/... Wu Blockchain / @wublockchain : However, if you're using your own Ethereum node or a third party RPC provider with MetaMask, then neither Infura nor MetaMask will collect your IP address or Ethereum wallet address. @yodaresearch : STOP using @Uniswap $UNI They've expanded their collection of on/ off chain data connected to your wallets eg - mobile deviceID - cookies - localStorage - device/ browser language - screen wallets via 3rd party ... 🚨even share social media activity with analytics provides. wtf @nebfinance : We very much agree that respecting customer privacy will win the support of customers, Uniswap Labs:we do not collect and store personal data, such as first name, last name, street address, date of birth, email address, or IP address. #uni #uniswap #DEX https://uniswap.org/... @cryptosnooper_ : 🚨 MetaMask Tracking IP Address 🚨 Consensys, the company that owns MetaMask, just updated its Privacy Policy to state that they are collecting your IP ADDRESS and your ETH ADDRESS when you send a transaction. Source: https://consensys.net/... Your options 🧵 ↓ 1/4 https://twitter.com/... @sassal0x : Switching RPC's on MetaMask is trivially easy and there are plenty of good alternatives out there these days Here's an (incomplete) list of alternatives: https://ethereumnodes.com/ Of course, the best alternative is to use your own full node as an RPC 🤓 https://twitter.com/... Adam Cochran / @adamscochran : 3/3 Consensys started as an org that was deeply intertwined with the values of this space. Privacy, decentralization and FoSS. But more and more they've used their market dominance to make horrible corporate driven choices and we need to push for better options. Yaniv Tal / @yanivgraph : The most private way to use Ethereum is to run your own node. The second most private way is to use a decentralized infrastructure network so that requests are spread between a large number of servers, removing honey pots for surveillance. https://twitter.com/... @haydenzadams : Hoping to add opt-out of analytics setting soon for people who want to be excluded from tracking of the non-personally identifiable stuff that we use for improving our product (stuff like iOS vs android) In the meantime, you can do this already with an adblocker.. @k4kcyrpto : Another reason to use a VPN. 💯 The best security is not being an easy target. Security through obscurity. I use https://go.nordvpn.net/... for less than 3$ a month. (Also a #blackfriday deal thru the link for 4 Free Months +65% Off) Much more at peace of mind. #eth #defi #hex https://twitter.com/... @altcoinpsycho : This is sad. crypto losing it's decentralized spirit, ditch Infura asap https://twitter.com/... @dappnode : Sooooo MetaM 🦊 + Infura are tracking you by default now. See next tweet for how to avoid being tracked entirely and still use Metamask if you want, or @0xFrame, or any wallet where you can set up your own RPC. https://twitter.com/... @dominic_w : .@Uniswap could run their front-end on the Internet Computer | #ICP blockchain under the control of a DAO Users could initiate trades more securely using their fingerprint etc too (II + Chain Key TX). Demo already created. Not much work & we'd love to help! #Decentralize #ETH https://twitter.com/... Kyle Chassé / @kyle_chasse : 🚨CONSENSYS UPDATES ON NOV. 23 When using Infura, the default Remote Procedure Call (RPC) provider in MetaMask, it will “collect your IP address and your Ethereum wallet address when you send a transaction.” https://twitter.com/... Richard Heart / @richardheartwin : #Ethereum this is no good. The only way to protect user data is to never have it. A database of IP to #ETH address is unacceptable. Change your RPC in #Metamask to avoid this trash. Avoid the million scam bots and impostors that will post in this thread. https://twitter.com/... Wu Blockchain / @wublockchain : Uniswap Labs released its Privacy Policy: will collect public on-chain data and limited off-chain data like device type, browser version, etc; will not collect and store personal data; may share your wallet address with with analytics providers to detect, prevent financial crime. Leigh Drogen / @ldrogen : The crypto-libertarian dream for crypto is dying, and frankly I don't mind The focus needs to be on continuing to work towards a new banking system, not a new digital society that shields people from living by the rules of collective action (governments) https://twitter.com/... @mrkukks : can't be evil => won't be evil => why not? https://twitter.com/... @awawat_trades : okay... 1. where tf did you get my email?? 2. why do you want to send my data to the feds 3. where TF is my airdrop?? @ConsenSys https://twitter.com/... @j0e007 : If MetaMask users don't recognise by now how fucked up “decentralized and uncensorable Ethereum” fairy tale is, they are even bigger idiots than I thought them to be. https://www.coindesk.com/... @cobie : what's the best alternative rpc to avoid the ethereum surveillance machine? https://twitter.com/... @boringprotocol : Call it what it is. A “No Privacy Policy” https://twitter.com/... @riddle245 : Looks like Uniswap is trying to do some data analytics on users it seems to both monetize and remain compliant I presume https://uniswap.org/... Wu Blockchain / @wublockchain : Uniswap Labs: we may share your data in the course of litigation, regulatory proceedings, compliance measures, and when compelled by subpoena, court order, or other legal procedure. https://uniswap.org/...
Context & Ripple Effects
MetaMask was already a large ConsenSys product, with the company reporting more than 30 million monthly active users in its earlier funding announcement. The new policy makes the privacy trade-off in its default transaction path explicit: Infura can receive both IP and Ethereum wallet addresses.
The disclosure also differs from Uniswap Labs’ stated approach of collecting public on-chain and limited device data while not collecting IP addresses. User criticism subsequently prompted a change that stopped directly pairing IP addresses with transaction data, showing that data-handling details had become a product issue rather than a boilerplate-policy matter.
First-order effects
- MetaMask users relying on Infura as the default RPC provider have their IP and Ethereum wallet addresses collected in connection with transactions, making network identity and wallet activity linkable at that service layer.
- ConsenSys must defend a privacy policy that is more expansive than Uniswap Labs’ contemporaneous disclosure, while Uniswap gains a clearer point of differentiation on IP collection.
Second-order effects
- Criticism of the policy forced ConsenSys to revise MetaMask’s practices, including ending direct IP-to-transaction-data logging, raising the cost of treating RPC data collection as a back-end implementation detail.
- Wallet providers and decentralized-app teams face pressure to explain which infrastructure providers see transaction metadata, especially where a default service determines the data path.
Third-order effects
- The episode exposes a structural tension in crypto: public settlement can still depend on centralized endpoints that mediate access and collect identifying metadata.
- If wallet and RPC providers remain central transaction gateways, privacy practices at those endpoints are likely to become part of the sector’s broader legitimacy and policy-control debate.
The trend: Crypto products are confronting the gap between public, decentralized settlement and the centralized infrastructure that controls user access and data collection.