The hardware wallet maker Ledger does not collect information about its customers, except for anonymized publicly available data. This was stated by Karl Anderson, the company’s vice president of consumer product development.
2/ We don’t know who you are, and at no time are we linking on-chain data with other personal data, not even your IP address. Reminder: we never want to do know. Self-custody and sovereignty above all else.
— Carl Anderson (@CRLNDRSN) November 26, 2022
“The method by which we calculate the number of assets protected by Ledger devices is 100% anonymous and relies on public data. We do not know who you are, and we in no way link on-chain data with your personal information, not even your IP address. A reminder: we do not want to know. Self-custody and sovereignty above all,” he wrote.
According to Anderson, the company processes information transmitted via Ledger Live to its nodes in the Bitcoin and Ethereum networks. He explained that analyzing this data allows calculating the volume of assets stored on hardware wallets.
The specialist added that for greater privacy you can run your own node and configure the app to use it. He also reminded that Ledger Live is open-source software.
Earlier, reports claimed Ledger collected extended client data. For example, Zach Herbert—the head of Passport, the hardware-wallet project behind Foundation—stated this.
In Ledger’s 2021 funding round, they brag about how much crypto is stored on Ledger devices.
Stop to think: how do they know this? The only way to know is to collect extended public keys.
So Ledger Live knows your XPUBs and IP address 🤯
— Zach Herbert 🇺🇸 (@zachherbert) November 25, 2022
“During the 2021 funding round, Ledger boasted about how much cryptocurrency is stored on their devices. Think about it: where do they know this from? The only way is to collect extended public keys,” he wrote.
In June 2021 Ledger raised $380 million at a valuation of $1.5 billion. The company then claimed that its devices provided security for 15% of all digital assets in the world.
In the wake of FTX’s potential bankruptcy, Ledger and Trezor recorded a substantial rise in hardware-wallet sales.
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