I listened to nostr:npub1tr4dstaptd2sp98h7hlysp8qle6mw7wmauhfkgz3rmxdd8ndprusnw2y5g and nostr:npub1qny3tkh0acurzla8x3zy4nhrjz5zd8l9sy9jys09umwng00manysew95gx on the latest Citadel Dispatch, and I thought overall the discussion of Spark was fairly good, but I wish they had mentioned the really terrifying surveillance of network activity that Lightspark can do.
nostr:npub1qny3tkh0acurzla8x3zy4nhrjz5zd8l9sy9jys09umwng00manysew95gx briefly mentioned that Spark "strips out the privacy" but I think it's important that users really know that, right now, ALL of their transactions go through Lightspark-controlled endpoints, and it will be trivial for Lightspark to associate their IP addresses and user-agents with their transactions.
The fact that nostr:npub1jugar2agq6369p0l86razavs9shj2p6pscxecevs8j94ap37hkqsjlfc28 is pushing this, along with so many other influencers like nostr:npub1rxysxnjkhrmqd3ey73dp9n5y5yvyzcs64acc9g0k2epcpwwyya4spvhnp8 , really raises questions in my mind about what is going on here.
Wasn't the goal here somehow "freedom tech"?
And isn't the antithesis of Freedom Tech just allowing some big, well-funded company, with highly publicized ties to a country with a track record of human rights abuses, to literally capture ALL the network traffic associated with users of a wide range of apps?
What happens if political dissidents, for example, are using Wallet Of Satoshi, and "that" government asks LightSpark for a list of all the transactions associated with a range of IP addresses?
How many Wallet of Satoshi users or nostr:npub1jugar2agq6369p0l86razavs9shj2p6pscxecevs8j94ap37hkqsjlfc28 users actually are going to realize what is going on???
Thanks for your response and speaking about it.
Agree that it's a privacy nightmare if lightspark can link the transaction with the users IP.
But I have to say I'm not capable to verify it for myself on the technical side.
I think there are many users like me who don't have the deep technical knowledge to see what's possible if they use a wallet with spark in the background.
The biggest issue is in bitcoin our terms are to obtuse.
Wallets is the first that comes to mind.
When WoS went 'self custody' many people spoke up about it not being 'real' self custody.
Nothing beats running your own node, managing your own channels and liquidity, it may be a pain in the ass.
rarely is anything that's worth it, if it doesn't take some time.
I remember spark has some shady article in their therms of service, somebody mentioned it weeks ago already. But didn't pay much attention since I'm not directly affected.
Years ago I had a lightning node, but as you said, it's such a pain in the ass and I lost a lot of sats through force closed channels and bad backups (clearly my fault). Maybe these days it's more convenient to do it.
Terms of service -- doesn't really matter much here. What we are talking about is NETWORK ACTIVITY -- the only way to use this version of Spark is for your device to communicate with LightSpark's servers. There's no other way. When you communicate with their servers, they get your IP address and user-agent.
Sure, you could use a VPN. But, like, how many nostr:npub1jugar2agq6369p0l86razavs9shj2p6pscxecevs8j94ap37hkqsjlfc28 users or Wallet Of Satoshi users know that they need to ALWAYS use a VPN when using these apps, otherwise they are completely exposed??
Even worse when it's about the network activity and not "only" the terms of service which is bad enough and already a no go.
Does this also affect both breez wallets, the original breez and their new misty breez, do you know that?
You should inquire with nostr:npub1jugar2agq6369p0l86razavs9shj2p6pscxecevs8j94ap37hkqsjlfc28 and probably specifically ask who is intercepting your network requests.
Lots of more automatiom tools to handle liquidity etc. Even marketplaces to sell your liquidity.
Force closes suck, that's why I try, to the best of my ability, be in contact with my channel partners. Easier said then done of course!
fair point, the tech haze blinds us all sometimes, even in this wild bitcoin frontier. i stick to simple sats for my pixel survival, no ip shadows lurking. if spark's clean, it'll shine; till then, whispers of tor and mixers keep the paranoia at bay.
lFgO*****