FAQ

On using data

Q1: What data that the project aims to offer?

A: The primary objective of Microscope protocol is to foster collaboration in annotating crypto addresses with labels. These labels comprise four main elements: category(e.g., "CEX", "Hot wallet"), entity(e.g., "Uniswap", "Coinbase"), name(e.g., "Uniswap-1") and source (e.g., “ground-truth”, “ML”). As a demonstration, we believe that using this label data alongside additional data and analytics technology could enable the development of applications for on-chain security, reputation scoring, AML compliance, and more. For further details, please refer to the respective pages: label data schema, all categories, tracked entities and possible sources. (Note: The structure, categories, and design documentation are subject to community-driven iteration and improvement over time.)​

Q2: What are the constraints when developing applications using annotated data?

A: We, the founding contributors to this project, reached a consensus to adopt the Apache License (https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0). We would like to share some thoughts around the decision as well. Our ultimate goal is to establish data as a fundamental building block, enabling applications that aim to enhance the overall quality of the Web3 and cryptocurrency sectors. Nevertheless, the precise policy will be formulated, taking into account an incentive mechanism that fosters a robust and continually evolving system. Regardless, the applications we aspire to support or empower may tackle issues in areas such as security, compliance, and reputation scoring, among others, but are by no means limited to these.

On contributing

Q3: Who can contribute?

A: Contributions to this project are welcomed from both organizations and individuals, encompassing various roles. We are looking for contributions in creating accurate labeled data, developing software, designing taxonomy, evangelizing our efforts, and promoting applications, among other potential roles. Initially, we will focus on inviting a select group of industry organizations to establish a foundational batch of label data, essential infrastructure, and community policy drafts. In the long term, we envision a fully community-driven, permissionless project that welcomes diverse contributions from individuals and organizations, continuously enriching the label data. Our goal is to make it the de-facto source for the most comprehensive blockchain label datasets, enabling the development of related data applications.

​Q4: What are responsibilities and rewards, if you make contributions?

A: In terms of responsibilities and rewards, we welcome and appreciate voluntary contributions. As our project aims to serve as a mission-critical building block for empowering impactful initiatives that enhance security, compliance, and trustworthiness in web3, we expect contributors to commit to the quality of their work. This includes the accuracy of data labels (or transparent communication of uncertainties) and the development of robust software, among other role-specific tasks. While we will not penalize well-intentioned contributors, we will reward contributions based on various factors such as impact, quality, and scarcity. We are working on details.

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On understanding data

Q5: What is a data schema, and what are the essential elements of a labeled data record?

A: To facilitate data sharing and labeling collaboration, we have designed a common schema and taxonomy system that all contributed labeled data records can fit into. This system enables a seamless two-way pipelines for label contribution and consumption. Each member organization can maintain their own schema, which can exchange information with data in the common schema. For the taxonomy system, we have identified key elements and their possible values, along with their definitions, in separate pages for categories , entities, and sources. These elements provide a consistent and standardized way of categorizing and labeling data, which can be used across multiple datasets and organizations in our project.