Thank you for your important question. The MT4 and MT5 client terminals automatically print the names of all attached indicators and EA's to the Journal tab in the terminal, and the terminal automatically forwards that information to the Metaquotes data server (not the trade server). This is evidenced by some broker-dealer's trading agreements that expressly prohibit "excessive printing to MT4/MT5 Journal tab." The legitimate reason could be that broker-dealers simply don't want their MT4/MT5 data servers bombarded by an onslaught of incoming data that would slow service for everyone. The suspect reason could be that broker-dealers don't want to sort through a mountain of incoming spoof data in order to track the names of indicators and EA's that profitable traders are using.knsxrty459 wrote: Sat Mar 02, 2024 2:11 pm JohnnyRy -- Since you are getting into the weeds of Brokers -- I know Brokers can see your positions, I was wondering if you know if they can also see what specific Indicators and Ea's that you are using ? I have seen discussions ( in the realm of using bootleg software ) were people have said yes and no when it comes to what a broker can see when trading with different instrument's . What's your opinion on that ?
Indicator and EA settings (inputs) also automatically print to the Experts tab, but I've never seen Expert tab terms in a broker-dealer's trading agreement. That is not to say that a broker-dealer can't view Experts tab information. I simply don't know.
Regardless of the above thought experiment, I have adopted some best practices. In my MT5 live account, I always rename my indicators and EA's to something silly like "Trident_2" or "Black_Magic," and hard code fixed settings into the source codes. My understanding is that the broker-dealer can't access the terminal's MQL4/MQL5 folder, which they would need in order to view source code. I also rename my custom chart (in MT4, offline chart) names to something sill like "GBPJPY_555" because it automatically prints to tabs as well.
Broker-dealers can absolutely view the instruments/symbols traded. You simply can't get an order executed without communicating a symbol to the broker-dealer's trade server. The upside of this (at least, in the US) is that a trader has the right to spot inspect the broker-dealer's aggregate executed orders surrounding any given trade of that trader. The downside is that this is how some US broker dealer's enforce their prohibition of hedging, triangular arbitrage, and/or slant hedging.
Getting back to the thought experiment... I can't really imagine a broker-dealer paying employees to sit around and sort through traders' data in an attempt to discern their strategies. Time would likely be better spent on sales and marketing, given the high level of competition in the forex industry. I can, however, imagine an algorithm that automatically collects information.
Screenshot_511.png General Staff of the Armed 
