Criterion · method version 1.2.0
Control and sovereignty
What this criterion measures in each category, from method version 1.2.0.
Criterion id: control · from release method-v1.2.0
What it measures
In Exchanges and brokers
How far customers can move their assets out of the platform to their own keys, and under which conditions. Evidence: whether on-chain withdrawal to an external address is supported for the assets offered (and not only an internal balance), withdrawal limits, typical and maximum waiting times, and the published policy on freezing or blocking accounts and withdrawals, from the terms of service, help pages and WhatTheChain's own withdrawal test.
In Hardware wallets
The degree to which the user, rather than the maker or a service, holds ultimate power over the assets. Evidence: whether the user alone generates and holds the keys, whether keys and backups can be exported in open standards to other wallets, and which functions depend on the maker's servers, accounts or continued existence.
In Mobile wallets
The degree to which the user, rather than the provider or an authority, holds ultimate power over the assets. Evidence: whether the app is non-custodial (the user holds the keys) or custodial (the provider holds them and the user holds a claim), whether keys can be exported in open standards, and whether the provider can freeze, block or delay withdrawals.
In On-ramps
How directly customers receive what they paid for. Evidence: whether purchased assets are sent on-chain to an address the customer chooses, purchase and payout limits, typical and maximum waiting times from payment to delivery, and the published policy on holding or refusing transactions, from the terms of service and WhatTheChain's own test purchases.
How the score is built
The sub-criteria an assessor notes on the way to the score. They are not published as scores of their own.
In Exchanges and brokers
Assessors note sub-scores as whole numbers from 0 to 100.
- On-chain withdrawal
- Withdrawal to an external address for each asset offered, and the networks supported for it.
- Limits
- Daily and per-transaction withdrawal limits, and what raises them.
- Waiting times
- Typical and maximum time from a withdrawal request to its broadcast.
- Freeze policy
- The published conditions under which the platform freezes or blocks accounts and withdrawals, and how customers are informed.
In Hardware wallets
Assessors note sub-scores as whole numbers from 0 to 100.
- Key control
- Keys generated on and held by the device under the user's sole control.
- Exportability
- Backups in open standards (for example BIP-39 or SLIP-39) that restore in wallets from other makers.
- Provider dependence
- Functions that stop working without the maker's servers, account or company, and whether the device can be used with independent software.
In Mobile wallets
Assessors note sub-scores as whole numbers from 0 to 100.
- Key control
- Who holds the keys: the user alone, the user and the provider, or the provider.
- Exportability
- Backups and keys in open standards that restore in wallets from other providers.
- Provider dependence
- Functions that stop working without the provider's servers or account, and the provider's documented ability to freeze or block funds.
In On-ramps
Assessors note sub-scores as whole numbers from 0 to 100.
- On-chain delivery
- Delivery to an address the customer chooses, and the networks supported.
- Limits
- Purchase and payout limits, and what raises them.
- Waiting times
- Typical and maximum time from payment to on-chain delivery.
- Freeze policy
- The published conditions under which the service holds, reverses or refuses transactions, and how customers are informed.
Evidence and confidence
Every score of this criterion cites evidence items with their sources, and carries one of four confidence labels.
- high
- Primary sources checked at the assessment date, confirmed by a WhatTheChain test or a second independent source.
- medium
- Primary sources that could not be confirmed independently, or some older than the last scheduled review.
- low
- Only secondary sources, or sources that conflict; the rationale explains which one the value follows.
- estimate
- No direct source: derived from documented properties and comparable designs, and the rationale says how.