Demixing

The process of attempting to link deposits into a mixer or CoinJoin with subsequent withdrawals, using evidence such as amounts, timing, address reuse, transaction fees and behavioural patterns. The strength of a proposed link depends partly on the anonymity set: the number of deposits compatible with a given withdrawal. A small anonymity set, distinctive amounts or user errors may leave only one plausible match, even without access to external records.

Demixing results are generally probabilistic and should be reported with a confidence assessment, not presented as proof of common ownership unless the available evidence establishes a unique match. Service records obtained through cooperation or seizure are a separate source of evidence, rather than demixing based on on-chain data alone (see Coin mixer).