MetaMask Privacy Updates: What Users Need to Know
Consensys, the company behind MetaMask, has updated its privacy policy to address user consent, transparency and control over their personal data.
According to a press release shared with Cointelegraph, the changes are to implement more privacy and security measures for users of consensus services, including MetaMask.
“As a blockchain software company whose mission is to unlock the collaborative power of communities by making Web3 universally accessible, accessible and easy to use, we understand how privacy matters.”
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Key changes
Internet Protocol (IP) address setting has made several significant improvements to its privacy policy by providing transparency, expanding scope, and improving user data management.
“Specifically for IP addresses, we may process your IP address temporarily (depending on your MetaMask settings) when required for some of our services to provide the best experience for MetaMask users. This includes, for example, preventing DDoS attacks.”
The privacy notice now covers MetaMask Institutional, MetaMask Developer, Linea, Teku, Besu and Phosphor, and includes a new opt-out function for users who value privacy.
“If users want to further limit their device set and usage data, users can consider using Virtual Private Networks or ‘VPNs'.”
A person familiar with the matter at Consensys spoke to Cointelegraph about the protocol for handling IP addresses in the event of a data breach. are there:
“[…] In the event of a data breach, IP addresses are treated in the same way as any other category of personal data: our security team will take action to contain the incident immediately and we will comply with any notification obligations related to the incident.
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New MetaMask privacy features
MetaMask, as part of Consensys Services, has introduced new user control and privacy features, allowing users to configure their wallets based on their privacy preferences.
“We continue to expand the range of features that users can access and configure at any time from the moment they sign in and beyond, offering greater choice through advanced settings.”
The new features include disabling or enabling security alerts, automatic detection of tokens and intangible tokens (NFTs), and improved Remote Procedure Call (RPC) configuration.
About the third-party service's compliance with privacy requirements, a person familiar with the matter at Consensys told Cointelegraph:
Users have the ability to turn off those settings to limit data sharing. […] When processing personal data, we ensure that data processing agreements are in place with third party service providers as required by law.
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The mask is on…the mask is off
In addition to the new MetaMask features, the company's privacy notice also included a clear summary of what the company does and does not do with “MetaMask user data.”
“[MetaMask] Do not collect your private keys […] Do not sell your personal information […] Do not collect or retain personal information unless necessary to provide the services to you […] Do not collect payment or banking information.
The company also excluded Codefi and Quorum from the scope of its privacy notice, the statement said.
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