What happens if a node misbehaves or goes offline?

If a node disrupts the network or behaves dishonestly, the rest of the network can isolate it without taking down the whole system. Because every node is just one of many independent participants, no single bad actor has the power to corrupt the shared data — the remaining nodes continue validating and synchronizing normally. This isolation property preserves what the source calls "trustless data exchange": participants do not need to trust each other personally because the network's structure enforces integrity automatically. For a beginner, this means your transactions are protected even if some computers on the network fail or try to cheat.