Bitcoin

Address – Can I find out if two addresses are in the same wallet?

When sending from address A in a wallet to address B, there is no way in the protocol to prove that both addresses belong to the same wallet. Of course, they know if you’re using some kind of online wallet, but I’m assuming you’re using a full-fledged wallet.

However, there may be clues whose combination may be very decisive.

1. Clues when sending a transaction

However, depending on the amount from address A, sending all funds to B without change could be a clue that the two people are the same person. This isn’t a problem if you’re sending an amount like 1 BTC, but if you’re sending 0.82421871 BTC and there’s no change, it’s weird unless you’re sending all your funds to donate or pay for something without a fixed price. The same applies if A sends a certain amount of money to a different address and B receives a very strange amount.

2. Clues after the original transaction

  • Spend from both addresses in the same transaction. This is not proof, but it is extremely rare, as there are ways to build a transaction using inputs from both wallets.
  • If you frequently send funds between two addresses, especially in both directions (A to B and B to A). This can happen with two parties who do a lot together, but it’s a clue about any relationship.
  • Even though you’re sending to different addresses, you’re sending from both addresses simultaneously (sending two transactions (one from A, the other from B) that end up in the same block long after the original transaction). It may be a coincidence, but it is another signal.

3. IP address clue

It’s extremely unlikely, but if you connect to a rogue node that logs the IP address when sending from A to B, and then connect to the same rogue node (or another node that acts as a coordinator) when sending from B somewhere else, the two You will have the same IP address associated with your address. You can prevent this by using Tor or changing your IP address by other means.

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