Topic: Blockchain.info blocking accounts? (Read 855 times)

Whenever you guys finished teaching bitcoin to some newbies and lure them into running a full node lets go back to the topic shall we?
Blockchain.info is a free web wallet with the ability to run with millions of bitcoins at any given moment in time, that said, people using coinbase provide ID because they are buying I just don't know why would they keep using them as a wallet after they have bought the coins?
Moreover, if blockchain.info asked me for ID I'd give them a middle finger and go use either my expensive full node or my old friend Electrum no one pointed a gun at my head forcing me to use them as a must.

No. A node is just a software that contains the whole blockchain and it's always listening with other nodes for new blocks, checking if the transactions and blocks are valid, and validating their own copy of the blockchain.

A miner is basically the above, but it's also responsible for creating new blocks with transactions relayed from other nodes and inserting them in the Blockchain.

This is known as mining?

When you create a Blockchain wallet, they recommend completing three key security. All you need to complete the process as well as a verifiable email address to get started. To log into your wallet, you need your Wallet ID, your password, and any two-step verification that you have enabled. Your Wallet ID acts as a backup. Never required any ID except WALLET ID.

Me too. I was using their wallet for more than a year and just moved my earnings from current signature campaign directly to an exchanger to not skip the time and money for transactions.
They never asked me for my ID, but I've never tried to use some special security that they nonstop suggest, maybe in such case you need to enter your ID there. I don't know.

Running a full node means you are already validating blocks and transactions. You can either download Bitcoin Core or Bitcoin Knots (haven't tested personally) to run a node.

https://bitcoin.org/en/choose-your-wallet


No, only seed. Private keys are generated *from* seed.


You can import it to a wallet which support BIP39. E.g. Mycelium, Electrum, Bither, Schildbach's Android wallet, Copay, Breadwallet etc... Don't import your seed to an unknown wallet or share it with others or services.

What type of software do I need in order validate blocks by myself?

Do I need both the seed and the private keys to reclaim?
Where do I import the private keys to? eg: another online wallet, or desktop wallet, usb wallet?
Does the seed need to be imported somewhere as well; where?


Thank you

Download and install Bitcoin Core. Let it fully sync, that is, download full blockchain from peers (other nodes it is connected to). If you shutdown Bitcoin Core, you will have to download all the new blocks mined when your core wasn't active.

* Some firewalls block incoming connections to your Core and incoming connections are needed if you want to share/send blocks & transaction to other nodes. For using it as a wallet, you only need outgoing connection.


Full validation - it means you will validate blocks yourself, rather than trusting a third party. You can also contribute to network by validating blocks and sharing blocks & transactions you received to other nodes (if you consider it as an advantage).


No, a node is not an exit point for blockchain point because blockchain is not something nodes connect to. A blockchain is a group of valid blocks and blocks contain valid transactions and a reference to previous block.

A node is a computer which is connected to other nodes(computers) to receive/send data, in case of Bitcoin, blocks and transactions. All nodes on the Bitcoin network has same blockchain. A node receives transaction and blocks from other nodes it is connected to, check if received blocks are valid according to built in consensus rules and if they are built on longest chain (chain with greatest proof-of-work). If true, node will accept it by adding those blocks on top of existing blockchain and relay those valid blocks and transaction to other nodes. If invalid, reject them.


A seed, which is also referred to as BIP39 seed, is a set of words, usually 12 words, which is used to generate all your addresses and corresponding private keys. Private keys are instead a secret number. It can be in many formats, but to make it easier for importing, private keys are shown in wallet importing format(WIF). It either starts with 5 and is 51 characters (uncompressed) or starts with K or L and is 52 characters (compressed).

When you create an account in Blockchain.info, you will be asked to write down seed of your wallet. If you haven't written down your seed, go to "Security Center and click "Backup Phrase"(or Phrase Backup?). You will be shown 4 words at a time. Write it down in exact order without mistake. You WON'T be able to recover your wallet if there is a misspell, misplace of word or wrong word in your written "seed". I also read somewhere it your seed is only shown once, so be "extra" sure when backing up if this the case. I haven't completed all steps, so I am not sure about it. If you are afraid of loosing your seed, don't complete the process and only write down your seed and close the window. Do it once more to verify if your seed is EXACTLY same (order, words & spellings) as shown.

If you have more than one wallet, you need to find out which seed is needed for which addresses. For that, click "Settings" -> "Addresses" -> "Manage". To see used addresses, click "Show" in "Used Addresses" section and click "Ok" when warning is shown. See https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/m.19906492 for images. Give him a tip if it's helpful!


Yes. You will be able to recover Bitcoin in your addresses related to the seed you have. If you have seed of wallet #1 and want to recover wallet #2, you won't be able to do it! Seed of wallet #1 only recovers addresses and private keys in wallet #1. So triple-verify whenever you do something!

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Please correct me if I am wrong or tell me if I missed any! If you have seen familiar text here, it is not a copy-paste. I wrote what I understood. But it is possible some statements may have been similar or even same and it is probably because I used their* posts as reference to verify if what I said is correct and may have been influenced by their words/statements or writing style when I wrote..

* achow101, theymos, DannyHamilton, Bitcoin Wiki, Bitcoin.org, Bitcoin Stack Exchange, Github and lastly Blockchain.info

What steps are involved in running my own full node?
Are they are advantages aside from the one you mentioned? A node is usually a computer that is an exit point for blockchain ledger? I don't know what a node is with regard to blockchain; I only know of nodes as entry/exit points in non-blockchain enviroments. Please enlighten me. Thanks

Is this known as the seed?
I don't  know what the seed/private keys actually is or means or where to loacte it within a blockchain.info wallet? Explain pls.
If blockchain.info closes shop or gets wiped out I will always be able to access my blockchain wallet elsewhere?

This might be true and he have a wrong belief on coinbase wallet without knowing further that its just an exchange wallet comparing on blockchain.info which is solely an online wallet which doesn't require any id,documents from you which you can make use of it without restrictions unlike on exchange wallet which do really require this things. The thing that you got blocked on blockchain is just you did forgot your password,indentifier,paraphrase which makes your account blocked or cant be accessed.

No.

Obviously running a full node yourself is going to be the most private and secure way, but blockchain.info does not store anything on their servers, therefore, if you forget your password, you can't do anything but sigh in regret of not backing it up properly.

When you sign up for blockchain.info you are given a 12 word recovery phrase, using this phrase you can import your wallet into any bip39 supporting wallet, or blockchain.info itself. Unlike coinbase you control your own private keys, and it's impossible for them to block your account. Plus, there are no regulations against blockchain.info as it is merely a wallet, not an exchange.

The page you mentioned is self-explanatory. As you can see, in the "tutorial" on how to buy Bitcoins they say the following:


As you can see, they don't work as an exchange. They are just like Exodus who provides an exchange between coins using a third party (shapeshift).

This means that:
- you don't need a ID verification to use the Blockchain wallet.
- you still own and control your private-keys.
- you are only using the Blockchain wallet to easily buy Bitcoins from a third party right to your address.

I haven't heard of them asking for ID.

However, there are a few reports of account holders locking their account to a particular IP address, then losing control of that IP. That effectively locked them out of their wallets. The user in the quote had his problem resolved. I expect others might have had to provide proof they owned their account before blockchain.info would remove the IP lock.

They do allow us to access our private keys and seed.

I never had any issues with Blockchain wallet. I just logged in to check if they have finally added buy option, but not for my country.



And it is not like Blockchain is enabling a direct buy option, but through exchange partners so I do not see why they would ask for ID.

No, there are no more just a wallet service provider.
They have started exchanging services too. Now we can buy bitcoins using blockchain.info. https://blockchain.info/wallet/how-to-get-bitcoins

I guess new version of blockchain.info is not letting us accessing private key which may in support of blocking accounts and demanding documents ?

As you read all replies above they don't bother if who you are and where you from, anyone can make an account there but you have the responsibilities to make your account secure because as they mentioned from their faqs they don't store any information like password or your wallet ID, () the one you used when logging in or any confidential info from you except your email address I guess, so they can send you email/s whenever you contacted them. But when you lost some of the necessary information to secure your account like the seeds, account password, wallet ID then they can't help you out there.

Maybe OP is cosfusing blockchain.info with Coinbase, the latter can ask your ID.

No. They really don't care about who you are.
Exchanges only require you to verify your identity because they're required to follow laws that apply to national currencies.

Source: https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/40932/why-do-most-trading-platforms-require-id-verification

Blockchain.info is just a wallet, that doesn't control your private-keys and don't offer you the service of exchanging between USD and Bitcoin. So you and all other users will probably be fine.

Never happened with me ever.
I've been using their services since 2015 and never read around the forum that this is a thing that they do.

Any way just make sure that you have your private keys saved some where (maybe even print it) so if anything happens you still have access to your coins.