Toward De-Anonymizing Bitcoin by Mapping Users Location

Abstract

The Bitcoin system (https://bitcoin.org) is a pseudo-anonymous currency that can dissociate a user from any real-world identity. In that context, a successful breach of the virtual and physical divide represents a signficant aw in the Bit-coin system [1]. In this project we demonstrate how to glean information about the real-world users behind Bitcoin transactions. We analyze publicly available data about the cryptocurrency. In particular, we focus on determining information about a Bitcoin user's physical location by examining that user's spending habits.