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Guide: A Truly Anon X Account

Guide: A Truly Anon X Account

1. Use a privacy‑focused VPN paid with Bitcoin

  • Select a provider that supports anonymous sign‑up. Mullvad and iVPN allow you to generate a numbered account without supplying an email address and accept Bitcoin or Monero. The VPN ensures that your real IP address is hidden when you access X.
  • Pay using Bitcoin or Monero. If done right, buying a subscription with these cryptocurrencies makes the transaction nigh-impossible to trace back to you. If using Bitcoin, ensure it was purchased without KYC - that your identity was never tied to it - or that you have successfully broken the link between you and your last transaction by using Ashigaru Whirlpool. If that sounds complicated, use Monero.
  • Connect to the VPN. When creating the account, connect to the VPN first. From here on out, you will ONLY access X after first connecting to the VPN. If you break this rule just one time, X will have the IP address from whatever internet access point you used (your home wi-fi, your cell-phone, work wi-fi, etc.). If they get one of these, your account is burned and you'll have to start over.

2. Use a web browser, never the X app

  • Limit data exposure by avoiding mobile apps. Social‑media apps often collect unique device identifiers and more personal data than their web counterparts.
  • Use a privacy hardened browser. The X app collects extensive data for advertising—including purchase history, precise and coarse location, email addresses, browsing history and device identifiers. Using X from a privacy‑hardened browser (ideally the Mullvad Browser, Brave Browser or Firefox with hardened settings) reduces this exposure.

3. Create your account with an alias and private email

  • Use a pseudonym. X’s privacy policy allows you to provide a display name and username that do not reveal your real identity. Choose a handle and bio that do not contain your legal name or other identifying information. Stay away from personally identifying information like number of children, types of exotic pets, hometown, niche occupations/hobbies, etc.
  • Email sign‑up works. Create a new email account with Proton mail or other privacy email service.

4. Enable two‑factor authentication (2FA) using an authenticator app

  • Do not rely on SMS. In March 2023 Twitter restricted SMS‑based 2FA to paid “Blue/Premium” subscribers; free accounts must use an authenticator app or security key. This change remains in place in 2025 and it's what we want to use whether you get Premium or not. By using an authenticator TOTP app, you eliminate the need for SMS altogether.
  • Choose a secure authenticator app. You may already have one of these. If not, Ente Auth is a free, open‑source app for both Android and iOS that stores one‑time passwords in an encrypted vault. This will let you generate X’s 2FA codes without relying on your phone number, and can export encrypted backups for recovery as well as store encrypted copies on Ente's servers.
  • Set up 2FA immediately. After creating your account, go to Settings → Security and account access → Security → Two‑factor authentication and choose “authentication app.” Scan the QR code with Ente Auth (or other authenticator app) and use the code it provides. If you ever login to X from a new device or browser, you will be prompted for the code from your app. The code updates every 30 seconds and adds significant security to your account as well as improving legitimacy with X's algo.

5. Paying for X Premium (Blue checkmark) anonymously

  • X Premium requires a confirmed phone number. You can purchase temporary use numbers to accomplish this from various sites. I've tested sms4sats.com and textverified.com. The former accepts bitcoin lightning payments only while textverified.com will accept bitcoin, bitcoin lightning, and monero payments. They usually cost less than $1 per use. You will only need to use them one time. X will log that number as yours. You will not have future access to it. That's ok because you setup 2FA with TOTP codes from your authenticator app so you shouldn't need to use SMS for future codes or account verification.
  • Use prepaid or virtual cards purchased anonymously. You can purchase prepaid cards from various online retailers (take care not to get scammed) or from big box retailers like Wal-Mart. Privacy.com issues virtual cards that mask your real card number and allow you to set spending limits, but you must fund these cards from a linked bank account and provide identity details. This reduces anonymity; only use it if you are comfortable with partial disclosure. There are a variety of sources for prepaid cards you can purchase with bitcoin or monero including CakePay, theBitcoinCo, and bitrefill. Whatever you use, be prepared to re-up your subscription appropriately. It's probably easiest to purchase the annual sub and set a reminder to re-up when needed. You don't want your sub to lapse.

6. Ongoing operational security

  • Connect to the VPN before visiting X every time. Some say you should use the same server region from your VPN app, but I have never had a problem switching. X doesn't seem to care if my IP comes from the US in the morning and Europe in the afternoon. Just make sure you stay connected to the VPN when accessing X.
  • Use a hardened browser. Disable third‑party cookies, block trackers and avoid installing the X app. Clearing cookies or using an isolated browser profile for X helps prevent cross‑site tracking. Sound complicated? Use Brave browser.
  • Be careful with content. Never share personal details, images containing location metadata or any information that could link your pseudonymous account back to you. Remove EXIF data from images and avoid referencing your time zone or routine. Your most likely route to exposure is through the content you post. Take care!
  • Spaces. Don't speak in Spaces as this will expose your real voice - or get a voice changer before doing so, if you must.

By following these steps—using a privacy‑first VPN, a hardened browser instead of the app, a virtual phone number, a secure 2FA app, an anonymous payment method, and proper care as to what you post—you can make it impossible for other X users to doxx you and even prevent X from knowing your identity. Always stay up‑to‑date with X’s policies and adjust your practices as the platform’s verification requirements evolve. Good luck anon. If you run into snags or issues with the above steps, please reach out. We'll find a way and I want to keep these steps up to date.

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Colonial