MetaMask is a popular cryptocurrency wallet familiarized and adopted for its simplicity, ability to buy, transmit, and receive cryptocurrencies directly from the wallet, and even the capacity to gather non-fungible tokens while being compatible with all desktops and mobile phones.
Whether you are new in the crypto world or familiar with the popular platforms and terms, it’s not hard to come across the usage of Metamask and get familiarized with this popular crypto wallet. But can you even rely on this crypto wallet for advanced security?
Lately, with the release of its new privacy policy stating that MetMask will collect its user’s IP addresses on November 23, 2022, the platform has welcomed immense criticism from the crypto community. This takes away the reliability and trust of using a decentralized crypto wallet in the Web3 space.
But as a popular and trusted platform, MetaMask was not ready to relinquish your trust in this wallet. Hence, the platform recently announced the launch of various new features to enhance the wallet’s privacy.
According to a blog post announcement by metamask’s developer on March 14, these features will give you more control over your wallet funds and overall usage privacy.
How These New Features Prevent Privacy Invasion For You?
Originally, MetaMask used its Infura RPC node to immediately connect to Ethereum when a user first set up the wallet. This RPC node is an establishment of MetaMask’s parent company, Consensys.
Although the user may modify the settings afterwards, according to Ethereum node operator Chase Wright, this still meant that the user’s public address was broadcast to Infura before they could change their node.
However, the new version of the Metamask plugin available to everyone is called “10.25.0.” This version prompts you to apply an “advanced configuration” during the wallet setup.
So when you select this option, it shows several configuration options, including one that allows the user to select a different RPC node than the default Infura one.
Further enabling controlled security for new and old users, MetaMask’s “advanced configuration” dialogue box allows the user to disable incoming transactions, phishing detection, and enhanced token detection in addition to allowing them to submit their node details.
These features necessitate data being transferred to third parties such as Etherscan and jsDeliver. However, customers concerned about their privacy can now disable these features during the wallet setup on mobile or desktop.
Furthermore, the new MetaMask mobile version also contains advanced privacy features. For instance, at one time, the wallet could not connect one account to a Web3 app while disconnecting another. Hence, the user could only connect all of them or none at all.
Solving this limitation issue, the new version of MetaMask allows you to choose the accounts you want to link to an app without divulging the other addresses they manage. So you’re completely in control.
Lastly, another promising improvement in metamask’s features and user experience is the ease of crypto token transactions. This privacy feature enables you to keep your data to yourself and easily transact crypto tokens from your wallet, including popular tokens like $OMMI, $NEOFI, etc., without anyone tracking or keeping a tab on your transaction records.
Hence, there are no second-party security limitations and control as long as you control your wallet’s privacy as you set it up on your device.
What are your views on this?
