ConsenSys, a blockchain software company, clarified that it will only store and retain user IP addresses and wallet data for up to seven days.
ConsenSys has announced that it will only store user IP addresses and wallet information for a maximum of seven days, in an effort to address users’ concerns about the handling of their personal information.
The company faced criticism in the past for collecting this data. ConsenSys updated its privacy policy last month to reflect that it collects MetaMask users’ IP addresses and wallet addresses when they use Infura, an infrastructure service owned by ConsenSys.
This announcement is intended to reassure users that their personal information is being handled securely.
Infura, an infrastructure service owned by ConsenSys, is the default method for MetaMask users to connect to the Ethereum blockchain.
This announcement immediately raised privacy concerns, as the combination of on-chain data, such as blockchain addresses and transactions, and off-chain data, such as IP addresses, could potentially be used to identify individuals and reduce the privacy available on the network.
In response to these concerns, ConsenSys stated that it plans to limit data collection to on-chain transactions rather than when users simply check their account balances.
This would reduce the amount of data collected. Additionally, ConsenSys said that in a future update it will make it easier for users to add a third-party RPC provider, giving users more options and allowing them to avoid ConsenSys’ data collection by using alternative services to Infura.
