> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.heaa.xyz/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.heaa.xyz/heaa-dark-pool/how-it-works.md).

# How it works?

## Privacy in a Nutshell

To understand HEAA Dark Pool, it helps to see what's public on Solana and what HEAA hides.

### The problem: Solana is transparent

Every normal Solana account is fully public. Your address, your token balances, and every transfer you've ever made are permanently visible to anyone. If someone knows your address, they know your net worth, your trading history, and everyone you've transacted with.

For many people that's fine. For anyone who'd rather not broadcast their finances — traders whose moves get copied, teams paying salaries, anyone sending a large amount — it's a real problem.

### The solution: an encrypted balance

HEAA Dark Pool gives you a second kind of balance: an **encrypted** one. When you shield funds, they move out of your public wallet and into an encrypted account inside the dark pool.

Once funds are in your encrypted balance:

* **Nobody can see how much you hold.** The amount is encrypted.
* **Transfers don't reveal the parties.** When you send to another encrypted account, there's no public link showing that you sent to them.
* **Only you can spend it.** The encrypted account is controlled by keys that only exist on your device.

### Getting funds in and out

* **Shielding** moves funds from your public wallet into your encrypted balance. This step is visible (people can see you shielded *something*), but from then on your activity inside the pool is private.
* **Unshielding** moves funds from your encrypted balance back to your public wallet whenever you want.

Think of the encrypted balance as a private room. Walking in the door is visible, but what you do inside — and who you hand things to — is not.

### What stays private, precisely

* The size of your encrypted balance — **private.**
* Transfers between encrypted accounts — **no public sender/receiver link.**
* Your control over the funds — **fully yours, keys never leave your device.**