Who sees your payment
Every payment on X1 is written in a public record anyone can read, forever. What that record shows, and what the two people involved can find out, depends on how you pay.
- A regular send is what any X1 wallet does today: your wallet pays the other person's wallet directly.
- X1 Pay (Private off) sends from your wallet to a fresh address only the person you pay can open.
- X1 Pay, Private (Private on) sends from your private balance, mixed with other people's money first.
Try it
From Maya's private balance, mixed with other people's money, to a fresh address only Sam can open.
- Can seeHow much was sent
- HiddenThat Maya sent itHidden in the crowd of X1 Pay users*
- HiddenThat Sam got itIt went to a fresh address
- HiddenEveryone else Maya paysExcept when she adds money or withdraws
- HiddenHow much Sam has
* How well Maya hides depends on how many people use X1 Pay. Round amounts and waiting a while before sending help.
At a glance
What strangers looking at the public record can see, for each way of paying.
anyone can see hidden partly
| What strangers can see | Regular send | X1 Pay | X1 Pay, Private |
|---|---|---|---|
| The payment | |||
| How much was sent | |||
| Which token, and when | |||
| You | |||
| That your wallet paid | |||
| Who paid the network fee | |||
| Your balance | |||
| Everyone else you pay | |||
| The person you pay | |||
| Their wallet | |||
| That two payments went to the same person | |||
| Their balance | |||
| Hidden from strangers | 0 of 9 | 3 of 9 | 6.5 of 9 |
Every detail
"Public" means anyone looking at the X1 chain can see it.
| What | Regular send | X1 Pay, Private off | X1 Pay, Private on |
|---|---|---|---|
| The amount | Public | Public | Public |
| Which token | Public | Public | Public |
| When it was sent | Public | Public | Public |
| That your wallet paid | Public | Public | Hidden among everyone who added the same token ¹ |
| Who received it (their wallet) | Public | Hidden: lands at a new address only they can find | Hidden: lands at a new address only they can find |
| That two payments went to the same person | Public | Hidden | Hidden |
| The recipient's balance | Public | Hidden while payments stay at their private addresses ² | Hidden while payments stay at their private addresses ² |
| Your balance | Public | Public (it's your wallet) | Your wallet: public. Your private balance: hidden |
| Your full payment history | Public | Your sends: public. What you received: hidden | Hidden, except adding money and withdrawing ³ |
| Who paid the network fee | Public (your wallet) | Public (your wallet) | Hidden: the relay pays it, and you pay the relay from your private balance |
| That the recipient knows it was you | Yes | Yes | Yes, by receipt |
| That it went through X1 Pay | No (it's a normal transfer) | Visible to someone who looks closely | Public (it's the X1 Pay pool) |
| What FortiBlox can see | Same as anyone | Same as anyone | Same as anyone |
¹ Only as private as the pool is busy. Few people, unusual amounts, and sending soon after adding money make it easier to guess. See How private is it?.
² Moving several payments you received to one place (your wallet, one exchange address) links them to each other and to that place.
³ Adding money to your private balance is public: your wallet, the amount and the time. Withdraw to my wallet is public too, and because it pays out the exact rest, anyone can work out how much you sent privately in between.
Three words to know
- Fresh address. A brand-new address made for one payment. Only the recipient's app knows it belongs to them.
- Private balance. Money you added to X1 Pay earlier. It's held together with everyone else's, so a payment from it doesn't point back to you.
- Receipt. Proof inside a private payment that it came from you. Only the person you pay can read it.
What never changes
- Amounts are always public. X1 Pay hides who, not how much.
- The person you pay always knows it's you. Nobody is anonymous to their recipient.
- Looking up an @name sends the name to the network, from your connection, just as a regular wallet does when it resolves a name.
If you log in with email or social
The table above is the same whether you connect Backpack, X1 Wallet, or log in with email or social. The login only changes who can see your login:
| What | Wallet extension | Email or social login |
|---|---|---|
| Your email or social account | Not involved | Seen by the login provider (Privy), never by X1 Pay |
| That your email is linked to your wallet address | Nobody | The login provider (Privy) |
| Who can approve the unlock and payments | Only your wallet extension | Only you, through the login provider's secure key service |
| What X1 Pay receives from the login | Nothing | Only the unlock signature, never your email or login |
The login runs in its own walled-off window. X1 Pay can't read your login, and the login can't read X1 Pay's keys or your private balance.