user1577: Can you differentiate the miners from the normal clients, by doing some frequency analysis on ip-addresses that announce new blocks? Or will the new block propagate so fast around the network by normal clients that it's impossible.

user1654: It is trivial for solo miners to use tor to hide IP adresses. This defeats mentioned above frequency analysis attack.

user153: I don't know what this frequency analysis technique would do, so this answer corresponds to the second question you asked:
Blockchain.info connects to hundreds of nodes:

http://www.blockchain.info/connected-nodes

The IP address Blockchain.info shows is the address of one of those nodes that they happened to be connected to which first saw that transaction.  A node where privacy is desired does not allow incoming connections and only connects to trusted nodes that won't violate privacy expectations.

1577: <p>Can you differentiate the miners from the normal clients, by doing some frequency analysis on ip-addresses that announce new blocks? Or will the new block propagate so fast around the network by normal clients that it's impossible.</p>
 1654: <p>It is trivial for solo miners to use tor to hide IP adresses. This defeats mentioned above frequency analysis attack.</p>
 153: <p>I don't know what this frequency analysis technique would do, so this answer corresponds to the second question you asked:</p>

<p>Blockchain.info connects to hundreds of nodes:</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.blockchain.info/connected-nodes" rel="nofollow">http://www.blockchain.info/connected-nodes</a></li>
</ul>

<p>The IP address Blockchain.info shows is the address of one of those nodes that they happened to be connected to which first saw that transaction.  A node where privacy is desired does not allow incoming connections and only connects to trusted nodes that won't violate privacy expectations.</p>
