Electrum question on IP address

[coinrifft]

Given this example:

Login to Electrum with my local and clear net ip address. Then suddenly, I uses VPN, will Electrum servers could theoretically link my wallet into 2 different ip addresses? Thus affecting my privacy as switching mid usage and create a link or trail ? (same addresses queried from two IPs).

[Abdussamad]

Yes

[Zaguru12]

Let me start with you can hide your IP addresses but you cannot hide you wallet addresses.

The thing is once you connect to a node ( or electrum servers), it sees all bitcoin addresses and can connect them together because connecting to it was like giving them access to this informations as such they can say that so and so addresses belongs to this wallet and also possibly they will connect the IP address to it.

You can then choose to actually use a different IP addresses through the help of Tor and VPN likes but you see those addresses as long its other people’s server you’re using then they can connect your wallet addresses together.

So the answer is using tor which I am sure of avoids the linking of your IP address to your bitcoin address.

[Halifat]

will Electrum servers could theoretically link my wallet into 2 different ip addresses?

Yes

Thus affecting my privacy as switching mid usage and create a link or trail ?

No, this will not affect your privacy


To prevent this linking, you have to use Tor with Electrum

[Cookdata]

Thus affecting my privacy as switching mid usage and create a link or trail ?

No, this will not affect your privacy

It does. Relying on public server or node means you trusted them, your privacy is at risk if you are using them more often, worse when you don't know how to handle privacy properly.

[Charles-Tim]

It will be good we differentiate between privacy and anonymity. If you are not running your own node, you can use Tor on SPV wallets to have anonymity, but not that you have privacy. If you want privacy, run your own node or your own Electrum server with Tor. Using Tor with SPV wallets will only let you be anonymous but not private.

It is better you use VPN on a device that you disable ISPN direction internet in a way that if you do not connect to the VPN, the device will not go online. I still do not prefer this method.

What I prefer is to set the proxy to Tor connection. In this case, without Tor connection, your Electrum will not connect online nor synchronize with any central server.

[BitMaxz]

If you care about privacy the most and you don't want to leak your IP to a 3rd party server, then having a Tor, as suggested, is the easiest one, but you can try without using Tor, but this time you'll need to set up your own server and connect your Electrum, but the problem is you need to download the entire blockchain because most Electrum servers do not support pruning, but I think EPS or Electrs support pruning.
If you have a 1 TB drive or have any device with Umbrel, then you can run your own server.
Having this is far from leaks, and you have full control of your server.

[Forsyth Jones]

If you care about privacy the most and you don't want to leak your IP to a 3rd party server, then having a Tor, as suggested, is the easiest one, but you can try without using Tor, but this time you'll need to set up your own server and connect your Electrum, but the problem is you need to download the entire blockchain because most Electrum servers do not support pruning, but I think EPS or Electrs support pruning.
If you have a 1 TB drive or have any device with Umbrel, then you can run your own server.
Having this is far from leaks, and you have full control of your server.

Nowadays, I recommend having at least 2TB of storage, the Bitcoin network has around ~800GB (+ index folder, if running as a server). Soon, in about a year, a 1TB SSD won't be enough anymore, and I'm almost certain that Electrs doesn't support pruning.

[hugeblack]

Given this example:

Login to Electrum with my local and clear net ip address. Then suddenly, I uses VPN, will Electrum servers could theoretically link my wallet into 2 different ip addresses? Thus affecting my privacy as switching mid usage and create a link or trail ? (same addresses queried from two IPs).

Not just addresses, but all the addresses in your wallet, so you should be careful about connecting to a random server or at least route your connection through Tor. That server will not know about new addresses before they are generated/requested their balance.

[coinrifft]

If you care about privacy the most and you don't want to leak your IP to a 3rd party server, then having a Tor, as suggested, is the easiest one, but you can try without using Tor, but this time you'll need to set up your own server and connect your Electrum, but the problem is you need to download the entire blockchain because most Electrum servers do not support pruning, but I think EPS or Electrs support pruning.

Ok thanks, I will take this into consideration.

I have 1TB of external HD, will it be possible to used it to set-up my own server? Or just pruned and let me run Bitcoin Core?

[mcdouglasx]

I have 1TB of external HD, will it be possible to used it to set-up my own server? Or just pruned and let me run Bitcoin Core?

In the future you should have at least 2TB, otherwise sooner or later you will have to use a pruned one.

[BitMaxz]

Ok thanks, I will take this into consideration.

I have 1TB of external HD, will it be possible to used it to set-up my own server? Or just pruned and let me run Bitcoin Core?

That should be enough since the current total bitcoin block size is around 700gb if this external hdd is clean with no other files then it should be enough to run a full node and Electrum server.

Currently, EPS is the only server that I know support pruning I double-checked Electrs as mentioned above, and it seems this one does not support pruning.

So your only option is to use EPS or run a full node; since you have 1 TB, it might take 1 to 2 years before the total block size does not fit on your current HDD.
Atleast you already have 1TB blocks and you can upgrade later to 2TB and transfer all files from 1TB go the new HDD.

[coinrifft]

Ok thanks, I will take this into consideration.

I have 1TB of external HD, will it be possible to used it to set-up my own server? Or just pruned and let me run Bitcoin Core?

That should be enough since the current total bitcoin block size is around 700gb if this external hdd is clean with no other files then it should be enough to run a full node and Electrum server.

Currently, EPS is the only server that I know support pruning I double-checked Electrs as mentioned above, and it seems this one does not support pruning.

So your only option is to use EPS or run a full node; since you have 1 TB, it might take 1 to 2 years before the total block size does not fit on your current HDD.
Atleast you already have 1TB blocks and you can upgrade later to 2TB and transfer all files from 1TB go the new HDD.

Thank you again for giving me a good advise.

I'll likely used my 1TB, clean everything up and just installed around ~800 GB of Bitcoin block size and see how it goes.

It could be a good experienced for me as this is my first time running it.

[OcTradism]

Login to Electrum with my local and clear net ip address. Then suddenly, I uses VPN, will Electrum servers could theoretically link my wallet into 2 different ip addresses? Thus affecting my privacy as switching mid usage and create a link or trail ? (same addresses queried from two IPs).

You don't need to use VPN.

Download Tor browser, run it.
https://www.torproject.org/download/

Configure your Electrum wallet.
Tools > Network > Proxy >
Use Tor proxy at port 9150
Use proxy
You can change the socks from 9150 to 9050

You must keep your Tor browser opens for having Tor connection in Electrum wallet. If it works, you will see to Tor onion icon at bottom of your Electrum wallet.

[nc50lc]

Download Tor browser, run it.
-snip-
You can change the socks from 9150 to 9050

Good, but just one thing:
If he'd be using Tor Browser Bundle, changing the SOCKS proxy from 9150 to 9050 will disconnect his Electrum because it's for "Tor Daemon".

A simpler step would be using the latest version's "Detect Tor proxy" button and those proxy settings will be automatically filled depending on his Tor setup.