[Lio]

>> Also, if you want privacy, don't use crypto.

> Can you tell me another way of buying something over the internet without tying the purchase to a government ID?

Isn't the real question more, does crypto actually allow you buy things without tying the purchase to a government ID?

I'm no expert but I regularly see articles about de-anonymisation. This leads me to be sceptical about claims to privacy, certainly given enough time and motivation by a government actor.

[AnthonyMouse]

Go to any retailer and buy any in-demand product with the same market value as what you want to buy. Sell it on Craigslist or similar for cryptocurrency using a new wallet. Buy whatever you wanted to buy, never use that wallet again. Alternatively, mine the cryptocurrency yourself, again using a separate wallet for each purchase.

The deanonymization comes from tying any transaction performed by a particular wallet to your identity and thereby deanonymizing all of the other transactions. Which doesn't work if the wallet only ever has two transactions and neither of them are tied to your identity.

That's assuming traditional chains. Privacy coins also exist.

[habinero]

You don't need to be a government actor, even. You just need to understand what a graph is and be willing to patiently walk through the txns. It's not even that difficult. I have investigator friends who regularly do it as part of fraud investigations.