Clarity needed regarding Channel Privacy

[absolutep]

So I created a channel & as can be seen from screenshot I set it to 2 hops.

My question is - as far as I have read Tribler literature - Channels are always public.

Then how come this anonymous feature is showing?

Can channel system actually work on anonymously (similar to torrents) or is it just a bug?

[qstokkink]

There are two things going on when you anonymize your channel data:

1. Channels have digital signatures that are linked to your public key.
2. The anonymization hides the path to your machine, using single-use keys.

So you're sending public information privately. If you want an analogy: this is like going out of your way to deliver an envelope to someone without a return address on the back, only to then put that address on the letter inside of the envelope anyway.

Is it a bug? Well, all components are doing what they are designed to do. However, not what you may expect from them.

[absolutep]

Can the public key be changed? According to our choice or atleast by specific time period?

Similar to what is shown in screenshot

[qstokkink]

We don't have an interface for this. If you want to remove your keys, you'll have to remove the following files from your Tribler configuration folder (typically ~/.Tribler or %APPDATA%\.Tribler):

tribler/src/tribler-core/tribler_core/components/key/settings.py

Lines 9 to 12 in ebc1d44

	ec_keypair_filename: str = 'ec_multichain.pem'
	ec_keypair_pubfilename: str = 'ecpub_multichain.pem'
	testnet_keypair_filename: str = 'ec_trustchain_testnet.pem'
	secondary_key_filename: str = 'secondary_key.pem'

[absolutep]

I did remove the aforementioned folder previously but I got the same key again. That's why I am asking.

[qstokkink]

The key file should come back but its contents should be different.

[absolutep]

The key file should come back but its contents should be different.

Yes. All related data was different after deleting the folder & uninstalling/re-installing Tribler numerous times.

The problem is the public key remained the same even after uninstalling/re-installing numerous times.

Isn't there any way to change public key??
Cuz this is extremely harmful considering Tribler is using resources to develop anonymity.

For example - In screenshot. I2P address(public key) changes after every install/uninstall. It also changes according to the time limit set.

Ideally, user shouldn't be linked permanently to a particular key(public address) as described in below screenshot. It should change regularly or atleast change after certain time period or after install/uninstall/delete etc..

[qstokkink]

In the past, there used to be an option to either keep or remove your identity/keys in the Tribler uninstaller. The artifacts are still there, but I couldn't find this checkbox in the 7.11.0 uninstaller. I consider that a bug/regression.

Rotating keys, anonymous payout aggregration, etc., is part of the open issue #4255.

[absolutep]

The artifacts are still there,

How can I use this?

[qstokkink]

@absolutep You should probably not mess around with those scripts, that information was meant for the developer that will be assigned to this issue. For now, your best option is to manually remove the configuration folder.