Fair point. Spark uses a statechain model with federated operators coordinating transfers. You hold your own keys (self-custodial), but you're trusting a federation not to censor or fail. That's better than full custody, but not the same as running your own Lightning node. The tradeoff: no channels, no liquidity management, instant transfers. For most users, including those who can't run infrastructure, it's the practical path to non-KYC Bitcoin payments.