Proof of Keys

We start with the scene of today’s Proof of Keys and its quiet power, where we as a community withdraw assets from custodians to our own wallets to prove control and to test the honesty of custodial reserves. We act together on a single day each year to create a clear signal about custody and transparency. We move funds into personal wallets that keep private keys offline, and we prefer hardware wallets for this because they generate and hold keys on a device that is not connected to the internet. We avoid logging into sensitive accounts on public WiFi because such networks are easy to compromise and attackers can snoop or fake access points in public places. We choose devices that isolate private keys so a network breach cannot reveal them. We then verify transactions and balances, and some of us run full nodes to independently confirm the ledger state and the transactions we broadcast. We do this to remind ourselves and others that ownership in crypto is proven by control of the private keys. We build this ritual to stress-test exchanges and custodians and to reveal any shortfalls in reserves when many users request withdrawals at once. We liken the test to a bank run, because mass withdrawals expose fractional reserve risks in any system that promises custody without handing over keys. We started the practice as a response to repeated failures where custodians mismanaged funds or could not honor withdrawals. We formalized the date to tie our act to the founding moment of the first block in the chain and to create a yearly checkpoint for sovereignty. We teach new participants that “not your keys, not your coins” is not a slogan but a practical rule for protecting assets. We also show that community action can enforce accountability without relying on regulators or gatekeepers. We encourage safe withdrawal practices so users do not expose their keys during the event, and we recommend offline storage and simple verification steps. We know that the ritual builds resilience in the ecosystem and sparks conversations about decentralization. We keep learning together and we keep custody practices simple and robust so control of digital assets remains in the hands of users rather than in the hands of others.