Software, not a service.
Your device. Your data.
These terms govern your use of Shield and the Prometheus website. They are written in the same spirit as the product: clear, honest, and designed to protect your rights.
Effective: April 14, 2026
Purpose
Why this product exists.
Prometheus builds software that helps individuals understand their financial privacy exposure. We believe financial privacy is a fundamental human right, recognised by Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Shield, our first product, analyses publicly available blockchain data to show users what the surveillance industry can see about their own Bitcoin. It is a tool for self-assessment, not surveillance of others. It does not create, facilitate, or coordinate any transactions. It does not custody, hold, transfer, or transmit any funds.
Shield is software you download and run on your own computer. Prometheus has no servers, no accounts, and no ability to see what you do with it.
Definitions
What Shield is. What it is not.
What Shield Is
Shield is desktop software that you download and run on your own computer. It analyses your Bitcoin wallet's privacy exposure by examining publicly available blockchain data and comparing it against a database of labelled addresses compiled from public sources.
Shield is software, not a service. Prometheus does not operate servers that process your wallet data, does not maintain user accounts, and has no technical capability to access, view, or collect any information about your wallet, your transactions, or your analysis results. The entire analysis runs locally on your device.
Shield is not a wallet. It does not generate, store, or manage private keys. It does not create, sign, broadcast, or facilitate any Bitcoin transactions. It does not move, mix, swap, tumble, or otherwise alter the state of any funds.
What Shield Is Not
- Not a financial service. Shield does not custody, control, or transmit funds. It is not a money transmitter, money services business, or financial institution under any jurisdiction's laws.
- Not financial advice. Privacy scores, risk assessments, and remediation suggestions are informational only. They do not constitute financial, legal, tax, or investment advice.
- Not a guarantee of privacy. Shield shows what its analysis engine can detect. It does not and cannot guarantee that it detects everything a sophisticated adversary could determine. A green score means Shield found no traceable link, not that no link exists.
- Not a tool for surveilling others. Shield is designed for users to analyse their own wallets. You may not use Shield to monitor, track, or surveil wallets belonging to other people without their knowledge and consent.
Your Responsibilities
What we expect from you.
Legal Compliance
You are responsible for complying with all applicable local, state, national, and international laws and regulations regarding the use of cryptocurrency in your jurisdiction. This includes, without limitation, tax reporting obligations, anti-money laundering requirements, and sanctions compliance.
Shield is a privacy tool, not a tax evasion tool. The obligation to report income and pay tax exists regardless of whether transactions are visible on the blockchain. Nothing in Shield's analysis or recommendations should be interpreted as advice to evade any legal obligation.
Wallet Ownership
You represent that any wallet data you provide to Shield belongs to you or that you are authorised by the owner to analyse it. You are the sole person responsible for the security of your wallet data, including any extended public keys, descriptors, or other import artifacts you provide.
Backup and Data Responsibility
Because Shield runs entirely on your device, you are responsible for backing up any local data, labels, or configuration. Prometheus has no access to your data and cannot recover it if it is lost.
Licence & Data
Source code, privacy, and the label database.
Software Licence
Shield's source code is publicly available under the MIT Licence with a Commons Clause restriction. This means:
- You may view, audit, and verify the source code.
- You may modify the software for your own personal use.
- You may not use the source code to create a competing commercial product or service.
The full licence text is included with the software and available in the source code repository. In the event of any conflict between these Terms and the licence, the licence governs with respect to the source code.
Privacy and Data
Shield's privacy architecture is not a policy decision that could be reversed. It is a structural property of the software.
- Shield runs on your computer. There is no Prometheus server that receives, processes, or stores your wallet data.
- Shield does not require an account, email address, username, or any form of registration.
- Shield does not contain telemetry, analytics, or usage reporting of any kind.
- Prometheus has no technical capability to determine who uses Shield, which wallets they analyse, or what their results are.
The Prometheus website uses privacy-respecting analytics (currently Google Analytics and Microsoft Clarity) with an explicit consent mechanism. These analytics apply to the website only, not to the Shield software. You may decline website analytics without any loss of functionality.
Prometheus has no technical capability to determine who uses Shield, which wallets they analyse, or what their results are.
Entity Label Database
Shield includes a database of Bitcoin addresses labelled with associated entities (exchanges, custodians, services). This database is compiled from publicly available sources including academic research, open-source intelligence, and community contributions.
Prometheus does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or currency of the label database. Labels may be incorrect, outdated, or incomplete. An address that is not labelled may still be associated with a known entity. Shield's analysis represents the minimum of what a sophisticated adversary could determine, not the maximum.
Payment
Bitcoin only. Final and irreversible.
Bitcoin Payments
Shield's free tier requires no payment. Shield Pro is a one-time purchase.
All payments are made in Bitcoin via BTCPay Server. Prometheus does not accept fiat currency, credit cards, or any payment method that requires identifying information. The payment method is a deliberate reflection of the product's values.
Finality
Bitcoin transactions are irreversible by design. All payments for Shield Pro are final. No refunds will be issued for Bitcoin payments. By completing a purchase, you acknowledge that you understand and accept the irreversible nature of Bitcoin transactions.
Exchange Rate
The Bitcoin amount is determined at the time of payment. Any fluctuation in the exchange rate of Bitcoin before, during, or after payment is your responsibility.
Licence Scope
A Shield Pro purchase grants a personal, non-transferable licence for use on up to three devices you own. This is a per-person licence, not a per-device licence.
Legal
Warranties, liability, and governing terms.
Disclaimer of Warranties
Shield is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, or non-infringement.
Prometheus does not warrant that Shield will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components. Prometheus does not warrant that privacy scores are accurate, that entity attributions are correct, or that the analysis is complete. The blockchain surveillance landscape changes continuously, and Shield's analysis reflects the state of its engine and database at the time of the scan.
Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Prometheus and its developers shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, revenue, data, or use, arising out of or related to your use of or inability to use Shield, regardless of the theory of liability.
In no event shall the aggregate liability of Prometheus for all claims arising out of or related to these terms or Shield exceed the amount you actually paid for Shield, or $99, whichever is less.
Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages. In such jurisdictions, the limitations above apply to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Prometheus and its developers from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your use of Shield, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any applicable law or regulation.
Modifications
Prometheus may update these Terms from time to time. Updated terms will be posted on this page with a revised effective date. Your continued use of Shield after any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
Because Shield is local software with no account system, Prometheus has no mechanism to notify individual users of changes. You are encouraged to review these Terms periodically.
Termination
You may stop using Shield at any time by deleting the software from your device. Prometheus may discontinue Shield or any of its features at any time.
Upon termination, your licence to use Shield Pro features ends, but your local data, labels, and analysis history remain on your device under your control. Prometheus has no access to your local data and cannot delete it remotely.
Governing Law
These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with applicable law, without regard to conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be resolved in a court of competent jurisdiction.
Severability
If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.
Entire Agreement
These Terms, together with the software licence and the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Prometheus regarding your use of Shield.
Contact
Questions about these Terms may be directed to the Prometheus team through the contact methods listed on our website.
Verify
Don't trust this page.
Read the code.
Every architectural claim in these terms can be verified by reading Shield's source code. We believe this is the only meaningful form of legal transparency.