In response to rising criticism, the leading cryptocurrency wallet MetaMask has launched various privacy features. On February 2, industry leader MetaMask stated that users would witness an “updated experience” for wallet creation as well as updates to their privacy and security settings. “We have updated the extension to maximize the control you have over your data,” it said.
Users can now disable features that send requests to third-party services in the advanced privacy settings. According to MetaMask, this aids in phishing detection and identifying incoming transactions. In response to criticism about the default provider, Infura, there is also the option to change RPC (remote procedure call) providers.
MetaMask came under criticism in November following an update by creators, ConsenSys. When you use Infura, it will “collect your IP address and your Ethereum wallet address when you send a transaction,” according to a quietly updated privacy policy.
This generated a flood of criticism directed at the wallet and its designers, requiring ConsenSys to defend its conduct. In this recent upgrade, MetaMask has addressed the issue by providing a selection of RPC providers.
The phishing detection capability is also essential, as the number of attacks on MetaMask users has increased. Malicious smart contracts like Monkey Drainer entice victims to connect to malicious addresses. When users connect to a bogus wallet address, the new phishing detector should alert them.
However, as MetaMask’s competition has expanded recently, some of the responses to the news have remained unfavorable. Chris Blec, a DeFi expert and proponent of decentralization, issued the following warning:
“I know that you need to market your product, but trying to diminish the importance of seed phrases is not the way to do it.”
MetaMask announced a new Learn project on January 31 to educate people about Web3 and online security practices. To boost user experiences, the wallet provider launched a portfolio manager in September. It worked with PayPal in December to enable Ethereum transfers for US clients.
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