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Topic: Sending btc on chain to a lightning wallet produce the same thing as a mixer ? (Read 139 times)

legendary
Activity: 2212
Merit: 7064
I've never heard of this wallet. I learn something new every day on this forum  Cheesy
Mercury wallet is not that famous but I have been following them for some time and I think it deserves a place in bitcoin privacy tools.
hero member
Activity: 1820
Merit: 775
I still have a little trouble understanding lightning (and if there was only that!). I was wondering if we lost track of btc on chain when we sent them to a lightning wallet.
This is not exactly the same thing as using a mixer or coinjoin, but it does provide some privacy if you use different address to convert LN coins back to main chain.

There are some wallets (like mercurywallet.com) that work on bitcoin layer-2 with state chains, they are much better for privacy and I think they are working on integrating Lightning Network.
So best combination would be to use Mercury wallet together with Lightning Network if you want to have something very similar with a mixer.

PS
Note that you will have to pay transactions fees each time your are going on-chain and off-chain, and you will have to pay some fees to Mercury wallet.
Doing this for small amount of coins when mempool is full, is not really a good idea.


I've never heard of this wallet. I learn something new every day on this forum  Cheesy
legendary
Activity: 2212
Merit: 7064
I still have a little trouble understanding lightning (and if there was only that!). I was wondering if we lost track of btc on chain when we sent them to a lightning wallet.
This is not exactly the same thing as using a mixer or coinjoin, but it does provide some privacy if you use different address to convert LN coins back to main chain.

There are some wallets (like mercurywallet.com) that work on bitcoin layer-2 with state chains, they are much better for privacy and I think they are working on integrating Lightning Network.
So best combination would be to use Mercury wallet together with Lightning Network if you want to have something very similar with a mixer.

PS
Note that you will have to pay transactions fees each time your are going on-chain and off-chain, and you will have to pay some fees to Mercury wallet.
Doing this for small amount of coins when mempool is full, is not really a good idea.
hero member
Activity: 1064
Merit: 843
If you want to achieve 100% privacy, you can't because when you want to send your on chain BTC to lightning wallet, you're leave a trace about it.

the quickest solution to mixing is what the chipmixer did by splitting the bitcoins into fixed inputs and giving the users a private key with an unknown time difference between the input and withdrawal addresses, this requires the mixer to contain a good amount of bitcoin, which I do not know why other mixers do not provide it.
Check whirlwind, their service work similar like what Chipmixer did. They also have a mining campaign that would stop after 10,000 deposits, this obviously they want to get a lot Bitcoin and increase the privacy level of their service.

It is not as good as a mixer but it can be used to make people lose track of you in some cases.
Yeah, as long as you didn't withdraw all of your deposited money in once.
legendary
Activity: 1372
Merit: 2017
If you use Lightning Network on a third party service, I am not sure you will have privacy with them. They can store your account and transaction logs which can be leaked.

Yes, but in the eyes of an outside observer it would work as a casino, no? I mean that many casinos have an anti-mixing policy with wagering requirements, because if there are no wagering requirements, I deposit now in a casino and make a withdrawal within an hour and the track of my Bitcoin is lost to the eyes of an outside observer, although obviously before the casino I have no privacy.

It is not as good as a mixer but it can be used to make people lose track of you in some cases.
legendary
Activity: 1596
Merit: 1288
If the Lightning Network is set up correctly and overlaps, it could act as a central mixer that users contribute to, or as a second layer protocol that works like coinjoin, but still, in my opinion, the quickest solution to mixing is what the chipmixer did by splitting the bitcoins into fixed inputs and giving the users a private key with an unknown time difference between the input and withdrawal addresses, this requires the mixer to contain a good amount of bitcoin, which I do not know why other mixers do not provide it.
hero member
Activity: 1820
Merit: 775
sr. member
Activity: 966
Merit: 306
I still have a little trouble understanding lightning (and if there was only that!). I was wondering if we lost track of btc on chain when we sent them to a lightning wallet.
Electrum Lightning Network walkthrough
Basics of the Lightning Network
The Lightning Network FAQ

You can not use Lightning Network for mixing your bitcoin because there are two on-chain transactions needed. Opening your Lightning Network channel and Closing your Lightning network channel. Those transactions can link your bitcoin and no mixing can be exploited.

If you do all steps by yourself (you will do because you care about privacy), opening a channel, making transactions on Lightning Network, closing your channel, you can not hide your coin inputs and outputs.

If you use Lightning Network on a third party service, I am not sure you will have privacy with them. They can store your account and transaction logs which can be leaked.
hero member
Activity: 1820
Merit: 775
Hello,

I still have a little trouble understanding lightning (and if there was only that!). I was wondering if we lost track of btc on chain when we sent them to a lightning wallet.

Thank you
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