Best method to accept anonymous payments?

Discussion in 'privacy technology' started by Prestigio, Jan 5, 2014.

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  1. Prestigio

    Prestigio Registered Member

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    I am wanting to set up a website and be able to receive payments via my website. However i want it to be secure and anonymous. Originally i was going to go for bitcoin, but i recently read somewhere that if you add a "buy now" button for bitcoin on your website it can be searched with google or something and there was a seller who was uncovered.

    Is bitcoin really as secure and anonymous as everybody claims it is?

    I was also reading their privacy policy and they seem to be quite willing to hand out user information.
     
  2. PaulyDefran

    PaulyDefran Registered Member

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    BTC can be made as anonymous as it can be, for a buyer. VPN, Tor, New Addresses for each transaction, Laundry Service, Buy with cash, etc...

    I don't know about what a seller would need to do.

    BTC is a protocol, there is no BTC handing out info. If you mean exchanges, where you get fiat currency out - yeah, they'll rat you out in a heartbeat.
     
  3. Prestigio

    Prestigio Registered Member

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    What is fiat currency?

    Sorry if any of my questions seem a bit half witted. I'm a bit new to this but everybody has to start somewhere.

    And do you know of any other anonymous methods for a seller to receive money?
     
  4. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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    I've never used third-party Bitcoin checkout services. However, I suspect that most of them require identity verification. If you want to run a site anonymously, you may need to develop your own checkout system. Perhaps there are open-source plug-ins that you can adapt.

    The Bitcoin protocol is not at all anonymous. The blockchain is a public ledger of all transactions. There's even a public search portal <https://blockchain.info/>. Also, it's becoming increasingly difficult to exchange fiat currencies (aka money) for Bitcoins, or vice versa, with any real anonymity. That's especially so for large amounts.

    However, you can anonymize Bitcoins by transferring them from one wallet to another through mixing services. And so you end up with Bitcoins that have none of your history, and a random mixture of many other histories. Using multiple anonymous MultiBit wallets via Tor is the most anonymous option. Doing that is easy using Whonix.

    You can use Bitcoin mixing services in either direction. That is, you can use them to anonymize Bitcoins that you've purchased using your true name, or with only weak "anonymity". You can also use them to "deanonymize" Bitcoins that you've obtained anonymously, and want to cash out through an exchange that requires identity verification.

    Reputable mixing services include BitLaundry <http://bitlaundry.appspot.com/> and Blockchain <https://blockchain.info/wallet/features/> (sending via “shared wallet”). Another is Bitcoin Fog <http://fogcore5n3ov3tui.onion/> which is reachable only via Tor. Do not use OnionBC <http://6fgd4togcynxyclb.onion/>. It is either broken, or has become a scam. It accepts deposits, but won’t execute withdrawals.

    Through analysis of the blockchain, adversaries can determine that you sent Bitcoins to the mixing service. They can also identify everyone who subsequently received Bitcoins from the mixing service. But they can't connect your sending and receiving wallets.

    You can use the blockchain search portal <https://blockchain.info/> to check your receiving wallet(s) for taint (contamination) from your sending wallet(s). If there's taint, you just mix again, perhaps using a different service.
     
  5. Prestigio

    Prestigio Registered Member

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    Wow, that was a very detailed answer. I think i shall have a look for some open source plugins of some description for my checkout.

    Thanks for that really detailed answer!
     
  6. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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    De nada :)

    Some of it's boilerplate, and it may end up in another guide.
     
  7. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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    This looks good: <https://blockchain.info/api/api_receive>.
     
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