In a privacy update published on Dec. 6, ConsenSys, the developer of the popular MetaMask browser wallet, said it would reduce its retention of user data such as wallet addresses and IP addresses to seven days. Previously, on Nov. 24, ConsenSys updated its privacy policy to clarify how Infura (MetaMask’s default Remote Procedure Call) works with user data such as including IP addresses. The revelation sparked controversy in the crypto community around privacy concerns, leading the firm to clarify that IP addresses collected through MetaMask will not be monetized or “exploited.”
In this latest update, ConsenSys further elaborates that it does not store MetaMask wallet information when users make “read” requests through Infura, such as logging in to check their account balance. Instead, users’ IPs and wallet addresses are only logged after “write” requests by making transactions through Infura’s RPC (NYSE:RES) endpoints. ConsenSys also claims the two data types are not stored together to allow its systems to infer from them.