Bitcoin has a public nature, but it’s still always presented as a way to make financial transactions that are private. Authorities have started to increase the tools and techniques used to track payments made in cryptocurrency. It has become apparent that while blockchain transactions were linked to the addresses in wallets, they can also be traced back to individuals or institutions.
As a result, there are newer ways to obscure the transactions people make using bitcoin. This is known as bitcoin transaction mixing.
What You Should Know About Bitcoin Transaction Mixing
In bitcoin transaction mixing, you’ll basically take your crypto sum, the precedence of which you’re aiming to hide, as well as other funds. This can be done with the help of a bitcoin mixer. Another name for this mixer is bitcoin tumbler.
People can mix their bitcoin either using a centralized or a decentralized bitcoin mixer. Centralized mixers are suited to companies that want to take bitcoin and exchange it for other bitcoin, in exchange for a service fee.
Decentralized bitcoin mixers utilize blockchain protocol, take for example CoinJoin. This is used to obscure the fund’s provenance.
Since the fund’s provenance can be hidden, this has led bitcoin mixers to bring used for activities related to money laundering. The legality of bitcoin mixers comes from where you live. In February of 2021, Brian Benczkowski, the then Deputy Assistant General of the US, said that obscuring virtual currency using a mixer can be seen as a crime.