<p>Almost all of the drawbacks of using bitcoin over Tor revolve around the fact that your node can't trust that it isn't segmented from the network and thus can't truly verify the state of the network it sees is real. So if you ran two bitcoin nodes (both with the same privkey), one on the clearnet just to have an accurate view of the network and the other over Tor, which you use to send transactions, the worst that could happen is that the Tor exit node doesn't relay your transaction to the network. Since most (all?) bitcoin IP tracing schemes trace you by monitoring your sent transactions, you would be as safe. (Or as safe as Tor is normally.)</p>

<p>Since bitcoin clients always use the same nodes, the Tor bitcoin client should never be connected over the clearnet, as that would at least allow it to be determined that you had also used the same client over Tor.</p>

<p>However, this isn't a solution if you just want to run a node secretly. This method is a way to secretly send transactions, but the monitoring node on the clearnet is obviously not secret.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-02-24T06:24:03.120Z
2015-02-24T06:24:03.120Z
Tyler
<p>I know running Bitcoin over Tor isn't a good idea: <a href="http://arxiv.org/pdf/1410.6079v2.pdf" rel="nofollow">Bitcoin over Tor isn’t a good idea</a>. My question is: <strong>there are any alternative to hide the IP to the network safely?</strong> Using a proxy, if you don't full control / trust it I guess a similar attack can be done. The IP reveals your geographical position. So, how to hide your geographic position and keep running a full node?</p>

<privacy><tor><proxy>
Alternative to run Bitcoin over Tor
Felipe
# Alternative to run Bitcoin over Tor

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-02-23)

I know running Bitcoin over Tor isn't a good idea: [Bitcoin over Tor isn’t a good idea](http://arxiv.org/pdf/1410.6079v2.pdf). My question is: **there are any alternative to hide the IP to the network safely?** Using a proxy, if you don't full control / trust it I guess a similar attack can be done. The IP reveals your geographical position. So, how to hide your geographic position and keep running a full node?

**Tags:** privacy, tor, proxy


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2015-02-24. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

Almost all of the drawbacks of using bitcoin over Tor revolve around the fact that your node can't trust that it isn't segmented from the network and thus can't truly verify the state of the network it sees is real. So if you ran two bitcoin nodes (both with the same privkey), one on the clearnet just to have an accurate view of the network and the other over Tor, which you use to send transactions, the worst that could happen is that the Tor exit node doesn't relay your transaction to the network. Since most (all?) bitcoin IP tracing schemes trace you by monitoring your sent transactions, you would be as safe. (Or as safe as Tor is normally.)

Since bitcoin clients always use the same nodes, the Tor bitcoin client should never be connected over the clearnet, as that would at least allow it to be determined that you had also used the same client over Tor.

However, this isn't a solution if you just want to run a node secretly. This method is a way to secretly send transactions, but the monitoring node on the clearnet is obviously not secret.


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