ConsenSys Promises To Update Data Practices After Privacy Backlash

ConsenSys said it will attempt to change its current system and only hold user wallet and IP addresses for one week

article-image

kung_tom/Shutterstock.com

share

ConsenSys has updated its privacy policy for two of its core products — MetaMask and Infura — in response to community pushback about how the company managed user data

ConsenSys said that it will attempt to change its current system and only hold user wallet and IP addresses for one week. The company also noted that it currently does not store these two pieces of data together “or in a way that allows our systems to associate those two pieces of data.” 

“We are working on narrowing retention to 7 days and we will append these retention policies to our privacy policy in an upcoming update,” ConsenSys wrote in a blog post Tuesday. “We have never and will never sell any user data we collect. We use data strictly in adherence with the use limitations described in our privacy policy.”

ConsenSys only collects wallet and IP addresses when users make a transaction, the company added. 

Loading Tweet..

The update comes after users expressed concerns over ConsenSys’ last privacy update. In late November, the firm clarified to users that wallet and IP addresses were collected and stored, as is the standard for “how web architecture works generally,” ConsenSys wrote in the update.  

Users took to Twitter to express concerns about data privacy and how the information was stored and used. 

“Policy has always stated that certain information is automatically collected about how users use our sites, and that this information may include IP addresses,” ConsenSys countered in its statement. 

Other DeFi user interfaces also collect some user data. For instance, the developer of the largest decentralized exchange, Uniswap Labs, also revealed in November that it collects information including device type, purchases and wallet transfers. Uniswap Labs noted in the update that it does not store “personal data, such as first name, last name, street address, date of birth, email address, or IP address,” however.

The difference is that the Uniswap protocol can be accessed directly via other community-built interfaces, whereas ConsenSys’ MetaMask team controls all updates to its wallet software and surrounding policies.


Start your day with top crypto insights from David Canellis and Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter.

Explore the growing intersection between crypto, macroeconomics, policy and finance with Ben Strack, Casey Wagner and Felix Jauvin. Subscribe to the Forward Guidance newsletter.

Get alpha directly in your inbox with the 0xResearch newsletter — market highlights, charts, degen trade ideas, governance updates, and more.

The Lightspeed newsletter is all things Solana, in your inbox, every day. Subscribe to daily Solana news from Jack Kubinec and Jeff Albus.

Tags

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 18 - 20, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research Report Templates (1).jpg

Research

With $13B in tokenized assets, strong institutional partnerships, and a clear first-mover advantage in the RWA space. The platform's methodical approach to regulatory compliance, coupled with its hybrid public-private architecture, positions it uniquely to capture significant market share in the emerging tokenization landscape. While current fee generation primarily stems from metadata transactions, the planned launch of Figure Markets, major exchange listings, and comprehensive market-making initiatives in 2025 could serve as powerful catalysts for growth.

article-image

Perena is built on the premise that as stablecoins proliferate, liquidity could fragment, and stablecoins aren’t useful if they aren’t liquid

article-image

From hackathons to trading tools and DAO governance, AI agents are redefining how we build and innovate

article-image

CME’s large bitcoin contracts are so big that investors are turning to micro bitcoin contracts

article-image

The third-largest stablecoin is going multichain for the first time in its seven-year history

article-image

Nano Labs’ news release notes confidence in bitcoin being “a reliable store of value amidst its rising global adoption”

article-image

Several big companies report third quarter earnings this week, likely moving markets