BitcoinTalk
Summary
BitcoinTalk is an online forum dedicated to the discussion of bitcoin, blockchain technology, and cryptocurrency. The forum can be accessed for free with any browser.
Breach History
Has there ever been a breach or data leak?
Date of last breach
May 2015
BitcoinTalk was the victim of a social engineering attack after an unknown hacker targeted an employee of NFOrce, BitcoinTalk's ISP. The data dump contained users' information including usernames, emails, passwords, birthdays, secret questions and answers, and other internal data. The breach affected approximately 500,000 users in total.
Privacy Checklist
Is any kind of biometric data collected (health, heart, voice, etc.)?
Are you able to delete your data / the data collected about you?
Does it use cookies, telemetry, or third-party tracking scripts?
Is the privacy policy user-friendly (easy to understand)?
Does it have parental controls?
Does it use encryption to protect your data both in-transit and at-rest?
Does it get regular software and / or firmware updates?
Does it require you to create a strong password?
Is there a system in place for managing security vulnerabilities?
Does it have a privacy policy?
How Can It Snoop?
Does it have a camera or request / require access to a camera?
Does it have a microphone or request / require access to a microphone?
Does it track your location or request / require access to location data?
Account Requirements
Does it require an email address to use?
Does it require a phone number to use?
Does it require an address (home or office) to use?
Payment Options
Are you able to use a credit card as a payment option?
Are you able to use a cryptocurrency as a payment option?
Are you able to use PayPal as a payment option?
Are you able to use cash or gift cards as a payment option?
What Could Go Wrong?
BitcoinTalk can collect information from its users such as name, email, IP address, and some payment information, if applicable, and this information could potentially be shared with Amazon or Google. However, the website does recommend using Tor and a fake email address in order to protect your privacy, so they do understand users not wanting their information exposed. BitcoinTalk was the target of a major data breach in 2015, but if you take the steps recommended by the website operators, your data should be safe.
How Does It Share Your Data?
BitcoinTalk does not sell non-public user information to anyone. However, some user data could be sent to service providers on a need-to-know basis, such as Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform.
Good Things
- Great forum to communicate with other bitcoin users.
Bad Things
- Previous security concerns.
Final Thoughts
BitcoinTalk is a great way to communicate with other people who are interested in cryptocurrency. However, the website was the target of a major breach in 2015, which exposed much of its users' data. Therefore, if you choose to use this website, be sure to take the proper precautions to ensure your data is secure.