<p>This is the design of Bitcoin; you can use multiple wallets to obfuscate the transactions (or third parties etc.), but ultimately there is always a paper trail that anyone can access; the privacy comes from not being able to tell who is operating any wallet.</p>

<p>If this public-ledger is a concern for you, you should look at various privacy coins such as Monero (<a href="https://masterthecrypto.com/privacy-coins-anonymous-cryptocurrencies/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here's a guide to the most common ones I just Googled</a>), as this is the whole reason they exists instead of their users just using Bitcoin.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-09T17:01:33.470Z
2017-11-09T17:01:33.470Z
Toby Hawkins
<p>If I publicize a "request address" with the intention of allowing people to support my online efforts, am I risking my privacy?  i.e. if many people send me Bitcoin via that address, ostensibly that leaves a visible chain of money going into that "account" (for lack of a better word).  </p>

<p>Even if I immediately transfer money from that "request address" into my main wallet address, there is still going to be a money trail, no?</p>

<p>What can be done to mitigate that?  Should I change the address every time someone sends me money, or perhaps every week or month?</p>

<p>As a for-instance, ThePirateBay has a Bitcoin address on their main page; it looks like they've received 12.3 Bitcoins via that address.</p>

<address-reuse>
Privacy concerns for a publicly displayed Bitcoin address
Hannah Vernon
# Privacy concerns for a publicly displayed Bitcoin address

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-11-09)

If I publicize a "request address" with the intention of allowing people to support my online efforts, am I risking my privacy? i.e. if many people send me Bitcoin via that address, ostensibly that leaves a visible chain of money going into that "account" (for lack of a better word).

Even if I immediately transfer money from that "request address" into my main wallet address, there is still going to be a money trail, no?

What can be done to mitigate that? Should I change the address every time someone sends me money, or perhaps every week or month?

As a for-instance, ThePirateBay has a Bitcoin address on their main page; it looks like they've received 12.3 Bitcoins via that address.

**Tags:** address-reuse


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2017-11-09. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

This is the design of Bitcoin; you can use multiple wallets to obfuscate the transactions (or third parties etc.), but ultimately there is always a paper trail that anyone can access; the privacy comes from not being able to tell who is operating any wallet.

If this public-ledger is a concern for you, you should look at various privacy coins such as Monero ([here's a guide to the most common ones I just Googled](https://masterthecrypto.com/privacy-coins-anonymous-cryptocurrencies/)), as this is the whole reason they exists instead of their users just using Bitcoin.


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