A pristine new address was generated, admired for a moment, and ignored in favour of one he had memorised.
David M., 44, requested a fresh receiving address on Thursday, received one instantly, and then — by force of pure habit — pasted in the same address he has been handing out since 2019.
That 2019 address, now visible to anyone who cares to look, has received birthday money, a tax refund, and a reimbursement for a kayak, all on one public line — like a man using a single envelope for every letter he has ever been sent, then leaving it open on the porch.
"It's easier," David explained, of a thing identical in difficulty. The assistant had offered him a clean address. He waved at it the way one waves at a seatbelt.
A new address costs nothing and reveals nothing. The old one, by now, reveals everything.
Everything above is satire. Here is how it actually goes when you fix it.
What it does
Each time you need to receive, the assistant hands you a brand-new address derived from your wallet. Using a fresh one every time keeps your payments from piling up on a single public address that anyone can add up and trace back to you. Same wallet, different front door, every single time — at no cost and no extra effort.
David: Can't I just reuse my address? It's easier.
Assistant: You can — but then every payment you've ever received sits on one public address anyone can read together. Here's a fresh one. Same wallet, costs you nothing, and keeps your history to yourself.
Reusing one address turns your receipts into a public ledger with your name on it. A fresh address each time keeps that ledger your business.