Direct answer
Decentralized-protocol language and service language should be read separately. Protocol wording may describe a design claim or governance model, while service wording can imply operator, custody, access, records, or support assumptions. The distinction matters because legal, sanctions, and evidence claims depend on facts and sources, not labels alone.
Comparison table
| Language | What it may describe | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Protocol wording | Design, coordination, or governance language | Does not settle control, liability, or user facts |
| Service wording | Operator, access, custody, or support assumptions | Needs source-backed detail before relying on it |
| Custody claim | A factual or legal-sensitive claim | Requires careful source support |
| Risk claim | A source-bound category or signal | Should not be written as proof |
Source questions
- Is the source describing architecture or an operator?
- Does it state custody or control facts?
- Is the page adding assumptions beyond the source?
- Would a reader mistake the label for a legal conclusion?
What not to infer
A decentralized label does not prove absence of control, legal status, sanctions position, privacy outcome, or user intent. A service label also needs facts before it can support a stronger conclusion.
Publication checklist
- Separate design claims from service claims.
- Keep official and analytic sources distinct.
- Use custody language carefully.
- Avoid classifying a specific actor without qualified review.
Source notes
These sources support public context and terminology. They do not turn this page into legal, financial, sanctions, or compliance advice.
- FATF Guidance for a Risk-Based Approach to Virtual Assets and VASPs - Context for VASP, AML/CFT, travel rule, and risk-based terminology.
- FinCEN guidance on certain business models involving convertible virtual currency - Used only to understand regulatory categories, not to give legal advice.
- FinCEN proposal on convertible virtual currency mixing - FinCEN announced an NPRM concerning international CVC mixing on October 19, 2023.
- OFAC sanctions compliance guidance for the virtual currency industry - Sanctions compliance context and conservative wording boundary.
- Chainalysis cryptocurrency mixers research - Benchmark for explaining mixer typologies without service-like UX.