According to a revised privacy policy agreement published by ConsenSys on Nov. 23, MetaMask will begin collecting users' IP addresses and Ethereum wallet addresses during on-chain transactions.
Consensys, the company that owns MetaMask, further explained that the collection of user's IP addresses and Ethereum wallet addresses will only apply when they use MetaMask's default Remote Procedure Call (RPC) application Infura. Infura is an affiliate of ConsenSys and is set as the default RPC provider in all MetaMask wallets.
If users use their own Ethereum node or a third-party RPC provider with MetaMask are therefore not subject to the newly updated ConsenSys privacy policy. Instead, the terms of the other RPC provider apply.
The reaction within the crypto community has been mostly negative. For example, Adam Cochran, partner at Cinneamhain Ventures, described Metamask privacy laps as "another dumb move from Consensys" on Twitter. "There is nothing more important than consumer privacy, especially when it comes to your financial data - you have a right to be anonymous.Metamask has provided a great free service for a long time, but their decision to log IPs and tie it to transactions is unacceptable." Adam added.
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