Residential Proxy Pool Handbook
Guide to procurement processes and policies
Roundproxies · Last updated: September 19, 2026
Introduction
A residential proxy is only as good as the way it was sourced. This handbook sets out how Roundproxies builds its residential pool: where every IP comes from, the standards each source must meet, and the commitments that govern how the network is run.
We publish it because trust in this industry should rest on evidence, not assurances.
Ethical sourcing: where our IPs come from
Procurement is the foundation of everything we offer. A proxy pool built on unclear consent is a liability for the provider, the customer and the person behind the IP. Roundproxies treats transparent, compliant sourcing as a baseline condition, not a differentiator.
Every residential IP in our pool arrives through one of two channels.
Opted-in devices. People install an application, read what it does, and choose to share a small share of their idle bandwidth in exchange for rewards. They can see what is being shared and can stop at any moment. We manage this channel end to end, so that only informed, consenting participants ever act as exit nodes.
ISP allocations. IP ranges assigned directly by internet service providers and routed through their networks. No end-user device is involved, which makes this the lowest-risk channel from an ethics standpoint and a natural complement to the opt-in network.
Our acquisition standard
Roundproxies grades every non-ISP sourcing method against four user-centric criteria: consent, awareness, clarity of information, and reward. Only the top two tiers are admitted to our pool.
| Tier | Reward | Clear info | Awareness | Consent | How the device joins | Outcome for the user | In our pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | ● | ● | ● | ● | An app pays users for the bandwidth they share | Informed, consenting and compensated | Yes |
| A | – | ● | ● | ● | An app plainly describes the proxy feature and asks permission | Informed and consenting | Yes |
| B | – | – | – | ● | The feature is hidden behind vague or confusing consent screens | Agreed on paper, unaware in practice | No |
| C | – | – | – | – | Malware enrols the device silently | Neither aware nor consenting | No |
The majority of our pool is Tier A+: applications that pay participants directly for the bandwidth they choose to share. The remainder is Tier A or ISP-sourced. In both admitted tiers, the person gives explicit consent inside a dedicated application before their device carries a single request.
How our opt-in sources work
Our bandwidth-sharing sources are built around a single, plainly stated purpose. Participants are told exactly what they contribute, opt in explicitly, and are rewarded for their unused connection capacity. Sharing can be paused or stopped at any time, and uninstalling the app removes the device from the pool immediately.
We work with a curated set of Tier A+ and Tier A application partners alongside ISP partners. This keeps the network diverse and resilient without relaxing the standard on any channel.
The four principles, in practice
Consent
Nothing happens without a clear yes. The terms state, in plain words, that bandwidth will be shared with third parties, and that intent is restated during onboarding rather than folded into a single checkbox. Routing traffic through a device before consent is recorded is a breach of policy.
Clarity
Participants should understand, without effort, that their device joins a residential proxy network. We name the resources involved, including bandwidth and any limits on data, CPU or battery, and we say that this capacity is used by businesses.
Awareness
Consent at install is a starting point, not the finish line. Participants are kept informed about how their connection is used, by whom, and to what end, through in-app messaging, help content and every other channel we have.
Reward
Fairness means everyone in the chain is compensated, including the person supplying the bandwidth. Tier A+ turns idle connection capacity into a tangible return for the people who choose to share it.
Value moves in a loop: bandwidth flows from the participant through our infrastructure to the customer, and part of what the customer pays flows back to the participant.
How we run the pool
These commitments govern day-to-day operation of the residential network.
- Privacy. We collect only what a proxy connection needs to function. A participant’s own browsing, files and personal data are never touched.
- Device care. Sharing draws on idle capacity only. The owner’s experience of their device should remain unchanged while it is in the pool.
- Data integrity. Customer requests reach their destination exactly as sent. We do not inspect, inject into or alter traffic in transit.
- Ethical sourcing. Every acquisition channel passes a procurement review covering informed consent, ongoing awareness and compliance before it goes live, and is reviewed again on a fixed cadence.
- Know Your Customer. Customers and their use cases are screened before access is granted. Automated risk monitoring runs continuously, and only lawful, legitimate use is permitted.
- User control. Anyone can check whether their connection is in our pool and follow simple, self-service steps to leave it.
Closing
Consent, fairness and transparency are not a compliance layer at Roundproxies. They are the design brief for the network itself, from the partners we admit to the way we treat the people behind each IP.
We will keep publishing our policies and building the tools that let others test them. The goal is an industry where every participant, from the person sharing bandwidth to the business using it, can see how residential proxies are sourced and trust what they see.
Talk to us
Questions about anything in this handbook? Our team can walk you through our sourcing model and help you find the right setup for your use case: [email protected].