Privacy and security - Bitcoin Control Center

Stays on your device

Accounts, balances, history, settings, and statements.
Exchange API keys, encrypted with a key stored next to your data.
Your PIN, stored as a one-way hash.

No Hoseki account. No telemetry. Hoseki cannot see your data.

Leaves your device

Who	What they see	How to limit it
Your Electrum server	The addresses you track, and your IP address	Use your own server. Use Tor for remote servers.
Exchanges	Requests made with your API key	Use read-only keys.
Price source	Price requests, no wallet data	Use your own Mempool on StartOS or Umbrel.
mempool.space (desktop statements)	Your IP address and the transactions on your statement	Set Statement data to Configured Electrum server.
bitcoincontrolcenter.com (desktop)	Your IP address, once a day. No app or wallet data.	—

The desktop app starts on Blockstream’s public Electrum server. Blockstream can see the addresses you track until you switch. See First run.

Most private setup

Run your own node with an Electrum server.
On desktop, connect to it. Use its .onion address with Connect via Tor when you’re away from home.
Set Statement data to Configured Electrum server.
On StartOS or Umbrel, use Your mempool server as the price source.

Stay safe

Never enter a seed phrase or private key. Control Center only needs public keys.
Use read-only exchange API keys.
Set a PIN you don’t use elsewhere. See PIN and lock.
Delete wallet export and descriptor files after you use them.
Remove xpubs, addresses, and keys from logs before you share them.
Report security issues privately. See SECURITY.md.