Decentralization
Distributing control so no single party can censor, alter or shut down a system — crypto's core promise, measured in degrees.
Decentralization is the distribution of power across many independent participants so that no company, government or individual can unilaterally change the rules, censor users or switch the system off. It’s why Bitcoin has run uninterrupted since 2009 despite countless attempts to ban or break it.
Crucially, decentralization is a spectrum, not a checkbox — measured in who runs the nodes, who writes the code, who holds the supply, and who controls upgrade keys. Many projects marketed as decentralized have admin keys or dominant insiders. “Who can change or stop this?” is the single best question for cutting through the marketing.