An Ontology for Accountability: Defining What Data Quality Means in Blockchain Analytics

This Chainalysis essay describes the company's commitment to applying academic rigor to blockchain analytics, introducing an ontology that separates deterministic structural analysis (addresses/common-control) from attribution and confidence frameworks. It recounts a misclassification example (small gambling payments mistaken for CSAM purchases) to illustrate risks of loose methodologies, argues for reproducible, peer-reviewable standards, and invites the industry toward greater transparency and accountability.