node.sethforprivacy.com

node.sethforprivacy.com is a *public Monero remote node run by Seth Simmons* — one of the most-recommended community nodes for privacy-conscious users, operated by a well-known Monero educator who has spent years teaching people how to use the network without leaking themselves.

Background. Online since 2021 and run by *Seth For Privacy* (Seth Simmons), this is a free, public RPC node for the Monero network — the endpoint a wallet talks to so it doesn't have to run and sync its own full node. Seth is a recognized figure in the Monero and Bitcoin privacy space (long-running educational writing at sethforprivacy.com, podcast and workshop work), and that reputation is the node's core credential: a remote node is a trust relationship, and you're choosing whose node to trust. A node from someone whose entire public identity is built on privacy advocacy is a defensible choice.

What you trust. A remote node can see *which transactions your wallet submits and the IP they came from* (it can't decrypt your balance or spend — Monero's keys never leave your wallet — but the network-level metadata is real). So the question is operator trust plus transport hygiene, and this node addresses both: it serves over *Tor and I2P* in addition to clearnet, so you can reach it without exposing your IP to the node at all, and it runs *restricted-RPC* on mainnet (the safe public-facing RPC mode that doesn't expose admin/sensitive endpoints). You're trusting a long-standing, reputationally-aligned operator, and you can minimize even that trust by connecting over Tor/I2P.

Operational specs. It's a *free mainnet Monero node* with *restricted RPC*, reachable on clearnet, a *Tor v3 onion*, and *I2P*. Point any Monero wallet (CLI, GUI, Feather, Cake, Monerujo, etc.) at it as the daemon endpoint and you skip the multi-hour blockchain sync. The Tor/I2P endpoints are first-class, which is the entire point for a privacy node — connecting over clearnet leaks your IP to the node, while the onion/I2P paths don't. Seth also publishes contact channels (including SimpleX) for issues.

Philosophy. Running your own node is the privacy-maximal choice, but it's a real barrier (disk, bandwidth, sync time), and the alternative — a random or wallet-default remote node — quietly hands your transaction metadata to an unknown party. The community-node model splits the difference: a *publicly identified, reputationally-accountable* operator runs the node so you don't have to, and exposes Tor/I2P so you can use it without leaking your IP. It's privacy education made operational — Seth runs the node he tells people to use, on the transports he tells people to use.

Grade rationale. A in /nodes. The grade reflects a reputable, publicly-identified privacy-focused operator; Tor + I2P transports (not just clearnet); correct restricted-RPC configuration; multi-year uptime; and zero cost. Among public remote nodes it's a top recommendation precisely because the operator's incentives and reputation align with the privacy of the people using it. The caveats are the inherent ones of *any* remote node, not faults of this one.

Useful when. Use it when you want a Monero wallet working *immediately* without syncing a full node, and you want the remote node you trust to be run by someone accountable — connecting over its *Tor or I2P* endpoint so you don't expose your IP. It's an excellent default for mobile/desktop wallets and for newcomers who aren't ready to self-host. For maximum privacy you'd eventually run your own node; until then, this is among the best public options.

Caveats. A remote node — any remote node — sees the transactions you broadcast and, over clearnet, your IP; it cannot steal funds or read balances, but that metadata exposure is inherent, so *connect over Tor or I2P*, not clearnet, to neutralize the IP leak. Availability depends on one operator's infrastructure; for resilience, know how to switch nodes (or run your own). And "trust the operator" still means trusting a human — a well-reputed one here, but the privacy-maximal answer is always your own node. These are the standard realities of remote nodes and don't reduce the A; the Tor/I2P support and the operator's track record are exactly what make this one a safe pick.