Metadata
Metadata is data about your data: IP addresses, timestamps, wallet labels, xpubs, descriptors, device names, login history, and transaction context. In Bitcoin, metadata often reveals the owner, purpose, or pattern behind transactions.
How It Works
A private key moves money. Metadata explains the money.
Your xpub can reveal every address in an account. A wallet descriptor can reveal wallet structure. An IP address can reveal where a wallet connected from. Labels can reveal who paid you. Exchange records can tie your name to withdrawals.
None of those items are seed words, but each can hurt privacy. Together, they can build a clear picture of your holdings and habits.
Good wallet privacy means protecting both secrets and context. Back up descriptors for recovery, but do not post them. Use Tor or your own node to reduce address-query leaks. Keep labels local unless you trust the place they sync.
Key Points
- Describes context around wallet activity and identity
- Includes xpubs, descriptors, IP addresses, labels, and exchange records
- Often cannot spend coins but can reveal balances and history
- Useful for recovery when stored privately
- Dangerous when uploaded, shared, or leaked without thought