In the past week, the Ethereum community has become vibrant as the debate over privacy has intensified. Many are concerned that Ethereum is gradually straying from the original values of the Cypherpunk movement – where privacy is not just a feature but a default right that cannot be overlooked. In response to the call to 'Make Ethereum Cypherpunk Again', founder Vitalik Buterin has officially spoken out with a minimalist yet practical privacy roadmap, offering a new direction for the entire ecosystem.
The 'Make Ethereum Cypherpunk Again' movement: A memory of a censorship-resistant Ethereum.
The movement #Cypherpunk originated in the late 1980s, asserting that encryption is a tool to protect personal freedom in a digital world. Ethereum was once a symbol of this spirit – a decentralized, permissionless, censorship-resistant, and neutral network.
However, according to many researchers like @pcaversaccio, Ethereum currently leans towards performance (UX, TPS) and scalability, causing privacy to be pushed down the priority list. Meanwhile, users are increasingly susceptible to being tracked and having their on-chain data exploited.
Therefore, on April 9, @pcaversaccio announced a detailed roadmap to 'make privacy the default' on Ethereum. The roadmap includes 5 stages, from private ETH transactions to token protection, smart contracts, integration into the core protocol, and preparation for the post-quantum era.
The roadmap of @pcaversaccio: Resetting the privacy foundation for Ethereum.
Stage 1: Defaulting to anonymous transactions $ETH – hiding sender, receiver, amount, private mempool, and protection against MEV.
Stage 2: Protecting tokens & NFTs – allowing asset transfers without revealing identity or transaction history.
Stage 3: Private smart contracts – thanks to zkVM/zkEVM, ensuring that all operations on smart contracts are secure.
Stage 4: Integrating privacy into the core layer – including features like native shielded pools, cross-layer privacy, and fair transaction processing.
Stage 5: Preparing for the post-quantum era – replacing current encryption with post-quantum crypto to ensure long-term safety.
Although very detailed and revolutionary, this roadmap also poses a significant challenge: if implemented comprehensively, users will have to completely reacquaint themselves with how to use Ethereum. That's when Vitalik spoke up.
Vitalik Buterin: Simplifying privacy without compromising user experience.
Not opposing the spirit of cypherpunk, but #Vitalik chooses a gentler approach. He announced the roadmap for 'minimal privacy for Ethereum Layer 1' – not altering the core structure but still enhancing the actual privacy level for users.
Vitalik proposes four simple goals:
Private transactions
Anonymity in each application
Hiding data when reading the chain (RPC)
Hiding the user's network address (IP)
The breakthrough is how Vitalik 'hides the complexity': users only need to click send, and the wallet will automatically choose the best privacy option – thanks to built-in tools like Railgun or Privacy Pools. No need for secondary wallets, no complex installations.
In addition, each application will use a separate wallet address to avoid tracing. Vitalik accepts this small inconvenience in exchange for a much higher level of security.
Simple yet effective technology: Maintaining privacy without requiring programmers.
Vitalik puts forward a series of practical technical proposals:
EIP-7701 and FOCIL facilitate sending private transactions without intermediaries.
TEE (Trusted Execution Environment) protects wallet data queries.
PIR (Private Information Retrieval) is recommended for long-term use to ensure that servers do not know what users are querying.
Mixnet and multi-RPC nodes help hide the IP address when wallets connect to the network.
Optimize gas fees by bundling multiple transactions using a single zk-SNARK proof.
Ultimately, Vitalik wants Ethereum to have a private keystore – allowing users to enhance security (change keys, verify identity...) without exposing history or related wallets.
Conclusion: Privacy does not need to be a privilege reserved for experts.
While @pcaversaccio's roadmap is a complete redesign of Ethereum with privacy at its core, Vitalik chooses a 'light but profound improvement' approach – maintaining the familiar experience while gradually making privacy the default.
More importantly, Vitalik's roadmap helps millions of non-expert users also enjoy privacy – truly in the spirit of Cypherpunk: freedom without permission.
Connecting with the crypto market and Binance users.
If implemented correctly, this roadmap will not only help Ethereum regain trust from the community but also create a boost for the wave of decentralized financial applications with higher security. This is a significant step not only for Ethereum but also for the entire blockchain industry – where Binance users and the whole market are gradually realizing that: performance is good, but privacy is the foundation for sustainability.
Risk warning: The cryptocurrency market is always volatile and carries many risks. This article is not intended to solicit investments. Users need to conduct thorough research and consider carefully before participating.
