ThreeFold and TFT aren't controlled by any government or company - they are decentralized. This means TFT is open for everyone to use. But this also means you need to take the security of your funds seriously. With TFT, you’re not trusting a bank to look after your money, you’re trusting yourself.
### Protect your TFT in a wallet
If you plan on buying a lot of TFT you should keep it in a wallet you control, not an exchange. That's because an exchange is a likely target for hackers. If a hacker gains access, you could lose your funds. As well, by storing your TFT in an exchange, you are giving control to the exchange. Alternatively, only you have control of your wallet.
### Your TFT Wallet address
When you download a wallet it will create a public TFT address for you. Here's what one looks like:
> Note: the above is an example. Please do not copy it!
Think of this like your email address, but instead of mail it can receive TFT. If you want to transfer TFT from an exchange to your wallet, use your address as the destination. Be sure to always double check the address before you send TFT.
### Follow wallet instructions
If you lose access to your wallet, you’ll lose access to your funds. Your wallet should give you instructions on protecting against this (e.g. writing down your seed phrase). Be sure to follow them carefully – in most cases, no one can help you if you lose access to your wallet.
