[A] I'm excited to share here my personal experience of interaction with Mixy service. When I started using Mixy, I had two main goals in mind: to see how well it performs and to evaluate how easy it is to use.
Let me start with its usability.
Mixy has two equivalent interfaces. One of them is for connecting via clearnet, while the other one is dedicated to connect through darknet.
To connect to the service, I used the onion-URL, although, should confess, it was overkill approach, as I always use a multi-hop VPN to go online. But I wanted to check how the Tor version of Mixy works. I'll answer straight away. Everything went smoothly for me.
On the homepage of the service there are fields prompting you to enter two addresses to receive back the mixed funds. You have the option to complete either one field or both. If you choose to fill in only first fild, as I discovered, the funds will be returned in two separate transactions, both directed to the same address. On the other hand, if you fill in both fields, the two return transactions will be divided among the provided addresses. For my interaction I chose to fill in just one field:
and pressed “Continue” button.
Following this, an address was promptly displayed, suggesting where I should transfer the funds directed to mix. Additionally, there was an option to upload a letter of guarantee. This document would be necessary in the event of any disputes or misunderstandings regarding the return of funds. An extract from the letter I uploaded said «"-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----\nHash: SHA1\n\nPartner bitcoin mixer has generated the address: ХХХХХХХ……юХХХХХХХХХ\nMixing mode: Complete anonymity.\nCleansed coins will be sent to the forwarding address:\ХХХХХХ……ХХХХХХХХХХХХХ\n\nMaximum mixing time is 6 hours.\nThis offer is valid for 168 hours from ХХХХХХХХХGMT\nMaximum service fee is: 5% + 0.0007 BTC. \nPGP fingerprint: ……….-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----\n"» The letter clearly states that a guaranteed return of funds ( minus a commission of 5% + 0.0007 BTC) will occur within 6 hours.
With Sparrow wallet connected to a synchronized Bitcoin Core node and ready to send funds, I confidently transferred an amount slightly exceeding 100 dollars to the provided address.
Now, all that was left was to wait. “Cleaning takes from 3 to 6 hours, no more. ”
To my surprise, the first transaction — slightly less than half of the amount I expected to be returned according to my calculations — arrived in roughly 25 minutes. Interestingly, this occurred before my sent transaction was fully confirmed. Approximately two hours later, the second transaction arrived in my wallet, carrying the remaining balance of the funds.
This was the point when I could truly assess the service's user-friendliness. If I were to rate it, I wouldn't hesitate to give it a perfect score of 10 out of 10. The process is incredibly simple for the user - just send BTC, make some coffee, enjoy some music, and then receive your mixed coins.
Now, let's talk about what I got back. They honestly fulfilled their promise of taking 5% + 0.0007 BTC. I sent a small amount, so in the end I received 24% less, but those 24% included 0.0007 BTC, which accounted for almost 18% of the sent satoshes, everything was fair on their part.
Two transactions received from Mixy allowed me to proceed to the most fascinating aspect, which involved examining how effectively Mixy severs the link between the sent and received coins. To undertake this analysis, I utilized tools at my disposal, namely oxt.me and kycp, and adhered to the corresponding guide divided into four sections [1] , [2],[3] and[4].
Describing the technique of mixing Mixy literally says the following [5] “The coins you want to clear go to our props. Within hours, they are mixed by repeatedly sending them to thousands of different addresses. Finally, they become completely impersonal. After that, the money is sent to the exchanges for the final break in the chain of ties.”Given that "multiple sending to thousands of different addresses" would likely require a commission fee that could far exceed the amount being sent by the user, and considering the relatively short waiting time for fund returns, it's plausible to assume that Mixy operates with a dynamic pool (potentially consisting of several independent parts) of mixed coins. The comeback transactions to the users' addresses were likely to get coins from this pool.
To substantiate this hypothesis, I utilized OXT.me to graphically represent my comeback transactions .I will only share here the result for one of them.
The tiny square at the top represents my address, which received the mixed sats. The large circle in the center is the entity (holding about ~17 BTC) from which the funds were sent to me. The circle at the bottom is the origin that feeds the central object, and the circle on the left is where the rest of central circle's funds are directed (its balance is reduced to zero - I checked!) when sending my minor portion
Upon scrutinizing above entities further, the following image emerged:
Again, the tiny, almost indistinguishable square on the right is my return address. The other sources and recipients can also be expanded, generating a true entanglement of transactions where no connection exists between my sent and received coins.
Interestingly, more than a day later, my minuscule sent satoshis have yet to enter this «mess”. They remain on the original Mixy’s address, which holds nothing but my sent sats.
Mixy ensures that each user is provided with their own unique destination address..
It seems to me that technically, Mixy does a decent job with its task.
Now, the issue of reputation. Sure, this is a question that only time can effectively address. As the service is relatively new, I think, one should closely watch whether the team behind can find a way to bitcoiners and cultivate a positive reputation among them.
P.S. I used kycp to check for the presence of a coinjoin mechanism in Mixy transactions. It turns out everything is fair, the service does not use it.
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[A]. initially published in the Russian section of the forum
[1]. Understanding Bitcoin Privacy with OXT — Part 1/4
[2]. Understanding Bitcoin Privacy with OXT — Part 2/4
[3]. Understanding Bitcoin Privacy with OXT — Part 3/4
[4]. Understanding Bitcoin Privacy with OXT — Part 4/4
[5]. HOW OUR UNIQUE ALGORITHM WORKS
Let me start with its usability.
Mixy has two equivalent interfaces. One of them is for connecting via clearnet, while the other one is dedicated to connect through darknet.
To connect to the service, I used the onion-URL, although, should confess, it was overkill approach, as I always use a multi-hop VPN to go online. But I wanted to check how the Tor version of Mixy works. I'll answer straight away. Everything went smoothly for me.
On the homepage of the service there are fields prompting you to enter two addresses to receive back the mixed funds. You have the option to complete either one field or both. If you choose to fill in only first fild, as I discovered, the funds will be returned in two separate transactions, both directed to the same address. On the other hand, if you fill in both fields, the two return transactions will be divided among the provided addresses. For my interaction I chose to fill in just one field:
Quote from: satscraper
Following this, an address was promptly displayed, suggesting where I should transfer the funds directed to mix. Additionally, there was an option to upload a letter of guarantee. This document would be necessary in the event of any disputes or misunderstandings regarding the return of funds. An extract from the letter I uploaded said «"-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----\nHash: SHA1\n\nPartner bitcoin mixer has generated the address: ХХХХХХХ……юХХХХХХХХХ\nMixing mode: Complete anonymity.\nCleansed coins will be sent to the forwarding address:\ХХХХХХ……ХХХХХХХХХХХХХ\n\nMaximum mixing time is 6 hours.\nThis offer is valid for 168 hours from ХХХХХХХХХGMT\nMaximum service fee is: 5% + 0.0007 BTC. \nPGP fingerprint: ……….-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----\n"» The letter clearly states that a guaranteed return of funds ( minus a commission of 5% + 0.0007 BTC) will occur within 6 hours.
With Sparrow wallet connected to a synchronized Bitcoin Core node and ready to send funds, I confidently transferred an amount slightly exceeding 100 dollars to the provided address.
Quote from: satscraper
Now, all that was left was to wait. “Cleaning takes from 3 to 6 hours, no more. ”
To my surprise, the first transaction — slightly less than half of the amount I expected to be returned according to my calculations — arrived in roughly 25 minutes. Interestingly, this occurred before my sent transaction was fully confirmed. Approximately two hours later, the second transaction arrived in my wallet, carrying the remaining balance of the funds.
This was the point when I could truly assess the service's user-friendliness. If I were to rate it, I wouldn't hesitate to give it a perfect score of 10 out of 10. The process is incredibly simple for the user - just send BTC, make some coffee, enjoy some music, and then receive your mixed coins.
Now, let's talk about what I got back. They honestly fulfilled their promise of taking 5% + 0.0007 BTC. I sent a small amount, so in the end I received 24% less, but those 24% included 0.0007 BTC, which accounted for almost 18% of the sent satoshes, everything was fair on their part.
Two transactions received from Mixy allowed me to proceed to the most fascinating aspect, which involved examining how effectively Mixy severs the link between the sent and received coins. To undertake this analysis, I utilized tools at my disposal, namely oxt.me and kycp, and adhered to the corresponding guide divided into four sections [1] , [2],[3] and[4].
Describing the technique of mixing Mixy literally says the following [5] “The coins you want to clear go to our props. Within hours, they are mixed by repeatedly sending them to thousands of different addresses. Finally, they become completely impersonal. After that, the money is sent to the exchanges for the final break in the chain of ties.”Given that "multiple sending to thousands of different addresses" would likely require a commission fee that could far exceed the amount being sent by the user, and considering the relatively short waiting time for fund returns, it's plausible to assume that Mixy operates with a dynamic pool (potentially consisting of several independent parts) of mixed coins. The comeback transactions to the users' addresses were likely to get coins from this pool.
To substantiate this hypothesis, I utilized OXT.me to graphically represent my comeback transactions .I will only share here the result for one of them.
Quote from: satscraper
The tiny square at the top represents my address, which received the mixed sats. The large circle in the center is the entity (holding about ~17 BTC) from which the funds were sent to me. The circle at the bottom is the origin that feeds the central object, and the circle on the left is where the rest of central circle's funds are directed (its balance is reduced to zero - I checked!) when sending my minor portion
Upon scrutinizing above entities further, the following image emerged:
Quote from: satscraper
Again, the tiny, almost indistinguishable square on the right is my return address. The other sources and recipients can also be expanded, generating a true entanglement of transactions where no connection exists between my sent and received coins.
Interestingly, more than a day later, my minuscule sent satoshis have yet to enter this «mess”. They remain on the original Mixy’s address, which holds nothing but my sent sats.
Quote from: satscraper
Mixy ensures that each user is provided with their own unique destination address..
It seems to me that technically, Mixy does a decent job with its task.
Now, the issue of reputation. Sure, this is a question that only time can effectively address. As the service is relatively new, I think, one should closely watch whether the team behind can find a way to bitcoiners and cultivate a positive reputation among them.
P.S. I used kycp to check for the presence of a coinjoin mechanism in Mixy transactions. It turns out everything is fair, the service does not use it.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
[A]. initially published in the Russian section of the forum
[1]. Understanding Bitcoin Privacy with OXT — Part 1/4
[2]. Understanding Bitcoin Privacy with OXT — Part 2/4
[3]. Understanding Bitcoin Privacy with OXT — Part 3/4
[4]. Understanding Bitcoin Privacy with OXT — Part 4/4
[5]. HOW OUR UNIQUE ALGORITHM WORKS