How 'Anonymous' is Bitcoin?

[RedDiamond]

For instance, would running behind Tor protect me?

Tor = Government spying network

How about I2P, do you think it is any better?

There seem to be at least one bitcoin client available: https://github.com/VirtualDestructor/bitcoin-qt-i2p

[ajareselde]

Actualy, it offer spretty good anonymity.

You can use mixer services, also VPN, TOR, and connect using a prepaid SIM card on you cellphone.
Where theres a will, there is a way.

[RedDiamond]

Actualy, it offer spretty good anonymity.

You can use mixer services, also VPN, TOR, and connect using a prepaid SIM card on you cellphone.
Where theres a will, there is a way.

Hmm, with VPN the service provider knows yours ip, with TOR some government agency may also know, and with cell phone operator knows the IMEI of your cell phone. So no perfect anonymity there.

[Dabs]

Don't tell anyone your addresses, unless you are accepting donations or trading.

[thefunkybits]

We all know it's not anonymous, but curious to hear opinions from the experts around BCT.

What steps need to be taken to make it anonymous?

Your BTC transactions are fully available for anyone to see on the blockchain. It's not completely anonymous but pseudonymous..

There are new anonymous currencies being developed such as Monero - https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=583449.0

[MoonRise]

Bitcoin is anonymous only in the sense that there is no official link between the holder and their address. Transactions are linkable since people know who made the transactions. Any anonymizing network is another way to keep your address separate from you. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[evanito]

Bitcoin is anonymous enough that we can't trade every last bitcoin that someone has stolen or scammed. Services like stealth or coinjoin definitely enable bitcoin users to keep their transactions secret if they want to, by obfuscation.

[txbtc]

What is the most advanced technology for anonymous transactions feature?
I’ve heard about zerocash and coinjoin but which one of them has a technological edge?

[Rassah]

What is the most advanced technology for anonymous transactions feature?
I’ve heard about zerocash and coinjoin but which one of them has a technological edge?

I don't think ZeroCash actually works yet, while CoinJoin is available, at least in beta, in some wallets, and is more likely to be the default anonymizing system.

[dreamhouse]

look at supercoin, they implemented a trustless anonymous system using multisig, it is a decentralized peer-2-peer system. if bitcoin adopts the same, it will have a anonymous wallet.

[MightyBTC]

It's anonymous in the term that you don't have to register,verify it's just free flowing system of money

[Coinhunter32]

look at supercoin, they implemented a trustless anonymous system using multisig, it is a decentralized peer-2-peer system. if bitcoin adopts the same, it will have a anonymous wallet.

Absolutely but also as long as we use it for legal purposes why do we want it to be completely anonymous then,its completely okay to be decentralized only and we can use it happily ever after

[bigasic]

Bitcoin is not as anonymous as most people think. If you use a new bitcoin address each time, will help. But to say bitcoin is anonymous is not valid. I believe there is a new coin that is technically anon. but Its amazing how coinbase catches people that are gambling..

[andytoshi]

What is the most advanced technology for anonymous transactions feature?
I’ve heard about zerocash and coinjoin but which one of them has a technological edge?

This is maybe more technical than what you're looking for, but I have a long Bitcoin.SE post about anonymity which talks about both CoinJoin and Zerocash.

[pa]

What is the most advanced technology for anonymous transactions feature?
I’ve heard about zerocash and coinjoin but which one of them has a technological edge?

I believe the most anonymous currently available technology is that employed by Monero (XMR; see http://reddit.com/r/monero). It is based on CryptoNote, which uses ring-signatures to sign transactions. This makes Monero transactions untraceable. Monero is working on integration with i2p, which will allow for IP address obfuscation as well. Bitcoin core dev GMaxwell (the inventor of CoinJoin, I think) has said that he is impressed by CryptoNote's privacy tech.

[Mars not Moon]

We all know it's not anonymous, but curious to hear opinions from the experts around BCT.

What steps need to be taken to make it anonymous?

We no need it more anonymous than this,you don't need registration/verification to use an pass you coins what else would you want than?

[Hellb00y]

What is the most advanced technology for anonymous transactions feature?
I’ve heard about zerocash and coinjoin but which one of them has a technological edge?

I believe the most anonymous currently available technology is that employed by Monero (XMR; see http://reddit.com/r/monero). It is based on CryptoNote, which uses ring-signatures to sign transactions. This makes Monero transactions untraceable. Monero is working on integration with i2p, which will allow for IP address obfuscation as well. Bitcoin core dev GMaxwell (the inventor of CoinJoin, I think) has said that he is impressed by CryptoNote's privacy tech.

That is great news! However, luckily I don't require anonymity as of now.  Unless one day world governments are going to state cryptocurrencies are illegal... Then we will have a real black market here.

[oceans]

Using a new bitcoin address each time can help you to keep somewhat anonymous however I don't think as of yet it's all that simple to make bitcoin completely anonymous, it would take a lot of doing even if it was possible and even then there may be a way around it eventually.

[txbtc]

What is the most advanced technology for anonymous transactions feature?
I’ve heard about zerocash and coinjoin but which one of them has a technological edge?

I don't think ZeroCash actually works yet, while CoinJoin is available, at least in beta, in some wallets, and is more likely to be the default anonymizing system.

thank you !

[lion king]

It is my understanding that any bitcoin address inside of one wallet can eventually be associated with any other addresses when coins are sent.

I don´t think this is true. How do you think you would be able to link one address of a wallet to another address of the wallet 

It depends on the wallet you are using.  Here's an example with the Bitcoin-Qt wallet:

Imagine you create a brand new wallet.  Then you create 2 addresses in the wallet (address A and address B).  Next you receive 1 BTC at address A, and then receive another 1 BTC at address B.

Now, if you want to send 1.2 BTC from this wallet to somewhere, the wallet will create a transaction that spends both the output that was sent to address A and the address that was sent to address B.  Both of these outputs will appear as inputs in the same transaction.  Then the wallet will create an output sending 1.2 BTC to your intended recipient as well as a second output sending 0.8 BTC (less any transaction fee you might be paying) back to a brand new address that your wallet creates for you and keeps hidden (the new bitcoin address is kept hidden, not the 0.8 bitcoins) from you.  Finally the wallet will provide 2 signature using the private keys from both you address A and your address B.

Since a single transaction has signatures from both address A and address B, it can be inferred that a single entity very likely has control of both addresses.  The addresses are therefore "linked together".

you are right!