Why most services that want to protect user privacy. Also those on privacyguides, don’t have anonymous payment methods like cryptocurrencies? I pay for a few such services like email or cloud etc. but I don’t know if it makes sense if my bank knows I’m using it anyway so they can sell that info to advertisers, gov, etc. In EU services like mysudo or privacy.com are unavailabe so I can’t use masked cards. What is then the profit of using such services if I don’t pay for them with cryptocurrencies and they can be easily linked to me?

@Showroom7561@lemmy.ca
link
fedilink
English
106M

Crypto isn’t as private as you might think.

But I do agree with what you’re saying.

Using a prepaid credit card, which was paid for using cash, is probably your best bet.

Yeah, that’s true for most of them, they all are basically useless. It’s only worth to use private crypto, like Monero, that is designed actually with privacy in mind.

Bitcoin isn’t private. Monero should be what you use for anonymous/private payments.

@Showroom7561@lemmy.ca
link
fedilink
English
46M

Monero

I know of Monero, but haven’t used it. How are funds added to the Monero account?

@Showroom7561@lemmy.ca
link
fedilink
English
26M

After you install a wallet, you need to get some Monero. There are multiple ways to acquire some coins to spend, like mining or working in exchange for Monero, but the easiest way is to use an exchange and convert your fiat money into XMR. Many exchanges, centralized and decentralized, list Monero (XMR).

This sounds crazy complex for most people.

Cash -> Prepaid credit card (all still real money) is best, with the caveat that it may not be accepted everywhere. But then again, Monero is hardly accepted anywhere.

No more complex than opening a bank account, and finding a way to get cash to put in it, whether that’s getting a job, prostitution, selling things, etc.

It sounds complex, but so is becoming a millionaire.

@Showroom7561@lemmy.ca
link
fedilink
English
26M

No more complex than opening a bank account, and finding a way to get cash to put in it, whether that’s getting a job, prostitution, selling things, etc.

I don’t want to keep arguing, but I disagree. Even the most simple person in the world can open a bank account and put money in it. “Tap to pay” and e-transfers are as easy as they get, and cash withdrawal is something that anyone can do anywhere in the world.

Talking about “fiat money” and “XMR” and “coins”, isolates like 99% of the population.

Someone working at McDonalds can easily get paid and withdraw that money to use in a real store they can walk into. How does one even attempt any of that with Monero? Can you pay your mortgage or electrical bill with Monero? What about paying someone to fix drywall?

Monero may be a fine option for some, but it’s nowhere close to being a mainstream option for ordinary people.

You’re right, there is no argument. You merely stated that crypto wasn’t private and I showed where that statement doesn’t have to be accurate.

@Showroom7561@lemmy.ca
link
fedilink
English
16M

Fair enough. I don’t know much about how money is added into Monero to say whether it can be traced or not. Cryptocurrency is pretty broad, so there may be exceptions to my original statement.

@gamedeviancy@discuss.tchncs.de
creator
link
fedilink
English
26M

In my country it isn’t an option. I can only use virtual revolut prepaid or gift cards.

@nnullzz@lemmy.world
link
fedilink
English
36M

I used to use the prepaid approach a lot, but recently it seems like some companies are rejecting them. Mainly seeing it happen with subscription based services.

@Showroom7561@lemmy.ca
link
fedilink
English
36M

That’s crazy. Don’t they want money? LOL

Create a post

In the digital age, protecting your personal information might seem like an impossible task. We’re here to help.

This is a community for sharing news about privacy, posting information about cool privacy tools and services, and getting advice about your privacy journey.


You can subscribe to this community from any Kbin or Lemmy instance:

Learn more…


Check out our website at privacyguides.org before asking your questions here. We’ve tried answering the common questions and recommendations there!

Want to get involved? The website is open-source on GitHub, and your help would be appreciated!


This community is the “official” Privacy Guides community on Lemmy, which can be verified here. Other “Privacy Guides” communities on other Lemmy servers are not moderated by this team or associated with the website.


Moderation Rules:

  1. We prefer posting about open-source software whenever possible.
  2. This is not the place for self-promotion if you are not listed on privacyguides.org. If you want to be listed, make a suggestion on our forum first.
  3. No soliciting engagement: Don’t ask for upvotes, follows, etc.
  4. Surveys, Fundraising, and Petitions must be pre-approved by the mod team.
  5. Be civil, no violence, hate speech. Assume people here are posting in good faith.
  6. Don’t repost topics which have already been covered here.
  7. News posts must be related to privacy and security, and your post title must match the article headline exactly. Do not editorialize titles, you can post your opinions in the post body or a comment.
  8. Memes/images/video posts that could be summarized as text explanations should not be posted. Infographics and conference talks from reputable sources are acceptable.
  9. No help vampires: This is not a tech support subreddit, don’t abuse our community’s willingness to help. Questions related to privacy, security or privacy/security related software and their configurations are acceptable.
  10. No misinformation: Extraordinary claims must be matched with evidence.
  11. Do not post about VPNs or cryptocurrencies which are not listed on privacyguides.org. See Rule 2 for info on adding new recommendations to the website.
  12. General guides or software lists are not permitted. Original sources and research about specific topics are allowed as long as they are high quality and factual. We are not providing a platform for poorly-vetted, out-of-date or conflicting recommendations.

Additional Resources:

  • 1 user online
  • 1 user / day
  • 6 users / week
  • 70 users / month
  • 649 users / 6 months
  • 1 subscriber
  • 665 Posts
  • 11.1K Comments
  • Modlog