For lightning network, can I surround myself with a bunch of nodes to increase anonymity? Let's say I'm on a Lightning Network. Can I create a bunch of nodes, and do all my spending through those nodes?
Can you hide the fact that these nodes are likely controlled by the same person?
How often would you need to contact the blockchain? Would doing so compromise privacy?
(You may assume that every network action is done from a different IP address.)
Every node you spin up will have to have Bitcoins that you can lock up to put into the payment channels it creates. Nothing is stopping you from starting a new node (and payment channel) for every node you transact with. And as long as none of the Bitcoins you used were connected to each other it wouldn't be very easy to prove those nodes were controlled by the same entity.