Metamask updated its mobile & extension.

According to a tweet on March 14, MetaMask introduces a number of features that aim at enhance privacy and give users more control. This new features addresses MetaMask users' privacy concerns and allows a user to manage which servers are able to receive their IP address.

Previously, the app did not allow users to connect one account to a Web3 app while leaving another account disconnected. The user only had the option of connecting all of them or none at all. However, the new version allows users to select which particular accounts they want to connect to an app, without disclosing the other addresses they control.

🦊MetaMask Mobile v6 is now available to everyone! Our biggest release yet fixes issues around slow load times and provides a new and improved UX that gives users more control over their funds and digital identities.

Upgrade to the latest version today💪https://t.co/tGtA4GUXR1
— MetaMask 🦊💙 (@MetaMask) March 14, 2023

Earlier, Metamask used its Infura RPC node(Infura is owned by Metamask’s parent company, Consensys) to connect to Ethereum automatically, whenever a user first set up the wallet. Although the user could change the settings later, this still meant that the user’s public address was transmitted to Infura before they had a chance to change their node.

In the new version of Metamask extension also labeled as “10.25.0,” users are facilitated with the option to use an “advanced configuration” during setup. Once the user choose this option, now they reveals a number of settings that can be configured, including one that allows the user to choose a different RPC node than the default Infura one. Also in addition to letting the user enter their own node details, the “advanced configuration” dialogue box also allows them to turn off incoming transactions, phishing detection, and enhanced token detection.

These all features require data to be sent to third parties such as Etherscan and jsDeliver. Here comes the solution where users concerned about privacy can now turn off these features during setup if they want to.

Metamask earlier launched MobyMask, a initiative to help proactively protect users from phishing, using a dynamic web of trust for sourcing phishing reporters.

Metamask was heavily criticized on November 23 in the crypto community for releasing a privacy policy that stated, it would collect IP addresses from users. Consensys responded to the criticism, stating that RPC nodes have always collected IP addresses, and that the substance of the privacy policy was not new, though the language used in it had changed. ConsenSys announced in December 2022 that IP addresses collected through Infura would no longer be stored for more than seven days

MetaMask stated that the new features align with its core values of preserving user privacy and that it is committed to protecting its users' privacy.