Chainalysis runs Electrum nodes.

[DireWolfM14]

The easiest way is to use virtualbox: https://www.virtualbox.org/
And then deploy the virtalbox version of mynode: https://www.mynodebtc.com/download

The upsides: it's easy, you don't have to install or learn anything, and there is a lot of support out there.
The downsides: You have to trust the people involved.
But, you do get a BTC node, a lightning node, an electrum server and a basic block explorer.

Keep in mind you are going to need enough free RAM & disk space on your PC to run it. And you are going to have to keep your machine running 24/7 to get access to it.

-Dave

I don't know why but the easy way never appeals to me.  I like learning new stuff, and the DIY spirit is strong within me, lol.  In the late 90's, early 2000's I was working for an old-school tech company that was still using Unix on all their engineering work stations.  They finally switched to Windows around 2001/2002, and I hadn't played with CLI operating systems until I started hanging out here with you nerds.  Pounding out commands on the keyboard took some adjustment, but like I said, I find it fun and enlightening.  There's really no better way to learn about the technology of bitcoin than to dive into it.  And it's quite rewarding when you get things working well.  

I spent most of the day yesterday trying to install mempool.space on an Ubuntu server, and kept running to obstacles.  I'll figure it out eventually, but it can be frustrating.

[1715292628]

1715292628

[DaveF]

I don't know why but the easy way never appeals to me.  I like learning new stuff, and the DIY spirit is strong within me, lol.  In the late 90's, early 2000's I was working for an old-school tech company that was still using Unix on all their engineering work stations.  They finally switched to Windows around 2001/2002, and I hadn't played with CLI operating systems until I started hanging out here with you nerds.  Pounding out commands on the keyboard took some adjustment, but like I said, I find it fun and enlightening.  There's really no better way to learn about the technology of bitcoin than to dive into it.  And it's quite rewarding when you get things working well.  

I spent most of the day yesterday trying to install mempool.space on an Ubuntu server, and kept running to obstacles.  I'll figure it out eventually, but it can be frustrating.

You and @NeuroticFish [ https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5362554.0 ] trying to do things the hard way :-)

My view, so take it as you will. If you have enough spare hardware to do a node in a box on a RPi or similar or if you have enough spare drive space to do a virtualbox version of one of them start with that.

You then can see what works, although in a VERY customized environment.

Then you can try to do your own, and if you get stuck can ask for help AND you can take an actual look at something that works and track backwards from there.
Sometimes you just need to look at a working setup configuration to get see what has to be done.
And since you know what works, you can see what you can do to break it, and and then revert to the old running config that worked.

-Dave

[pooya87]

Zero, since they can do it themselves.

I'd say it depends on the individual we are talking about.
If it is a random dude on the internet then sure, there is no point in doing what they can already do. But if it is a known person then it is worth a lot. For example if you look through the Electrum server names you can already see some familiar names that people trust

[ranochigo]

We have known for years that 3Letter Agencies have been running Exit nodes on Tor to help them to identify wannabe "private" individuals... so why do you think a company like Chainalysis that are being paid millions to "identify" people behind transactions.... will not run their own Electrum nodes/Servers?

Chainalysis helps government agencies, cryptocurrency businesses, and financial institutions to track Blockchain traffic ....so this should not come as a surprise.  

I wouldn't be surprised if normal operators are unknowingly assisting them with the spying.

If the user in question had used Tor, they would not be in this situation. Interestingly, also a VPN would have been sufficient in this scenario since Swiss law does not permit VPN providers to log IP addresses in the same way it allows email providers to log IP addresses.

So yeah, it's shit for the individual in question, but ProtonMail were only behaving in the way they said they would. But having said all that, I still wouldn't trust a third party provider not to decrypt your information (or at least try to) if they were forced to. Tor and PGP should be a must.

Problem with any service that you're going to use is that there is absolutely no way to ensure that they're not collecting logs. Any VPNs or service that promises "no logging" shouldn't mean that your privacy is guaranteed. The fact that it isn't that difficult to start logging, either with the knowledge of the provider or not is a dealbreaker. Always assume that you are getting logged, unless you can verify that your contents are being encrypted in a way that makes it difficult to do so.

Protonmail specifically stated that they are legally obliged to comply with certain requests, which are nothing out of the ordinary. If anything, I'm supportive of them doing so given that the requests are made on that basis that doesn't infringe on human rights. They've mounted several legal challenges against a few requests, IIRC.

[o_e_l_e_o]

For example if you look through the Electrum server names you can already see some familiar names that people trust

I'd be very wary of trusting Electrum servers which are being run by internet or bitcoin "celebrities", not because I think they are inherently untrustworthy by any means, but because I would not be surprised in the least if blockchain analysis companies had offered them reasonable sums of money to share their data. Trusting servers from individuals you know is a different matter. Like DaveF for example - I've traded with Dave in the past and would happily trade with him again without escrow without the slightest worry about anything going wrong. I would definitely trust his server more than a random server Electrum selects for me or a server belonging to famous individual (but I'm still not going to stop using Tor).

They've mounted several legal challenges against a few requests, IIRC.

If you take a look at their Transparency Report I linked above, they contested and did not comply with 750 court orders just in 2020, so their legal team has certainly been busy. The more concerning thing from that Transparency Report is the exponential increase in court orders they have been receiving over the past 3-4 years.

For all intents and purposes it seems that their service operates exactly in the way they say it operates, and only logs and discloses exactly what they say they will log and disclose in only the circumstances they say. But any big company will have to comply with some court orders or they will simply cease to exist sooner or later.