This week, Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, unveiled an extensive plan aimed at significantly improving user privacy on the Ethereum blockchain.
The roadmap proposed by Buterin outlines a systematic approach to integrating advanced privacy features while necessitating minimal modifications to Ethereum’s Layer-1 consensus. This strategy promises to yield near-term improvements without requiring an exhaustive redesign of the network’s foundational architecture.
Layer-1 Unconditional Privacy
In his proposal, Buterin highlights four critical areas needing enhancement: the privacy of on-chain payments, the anonymization of on-chain activity within applications, the protection of private reads to the blockchain (including remote procedure calls), and the overall obfuscation at the network level.
My own current privacy roadmap (much lighter on L1 changes, but also more limited in its consequences): https://t.co/gBtRAC4Ou7 Highly encourage people to read both! https://t.co/vNw0ubNpEd
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) April 11, 2025
Rather than depending on long-term innovations or drastic protocol changes, Buterin’s approach champions a step-by-step and feasible strategy that could transform the privacy experience for Ethereum users.
He emphasizes the necessity for Ethereum wallets to incorporate native privacy tools such as Railgun and Privacy Pools. This integration would allow users to maintain a “shielded balance,” ensuring that transactions made from this balance are private by default, simplifying the overall user experience and eliminating the need for specialized wallets.
Buterin insists that enhancing usability must not come at the cost of privacy. Instead, he envisions privacy features that are intuitive and seamlessly integrated into the user experience.
To prevent traceable connections between activities across various decentralized applications (dApps), Buterin proposes the use of distinct addresses for each application by default. While this may slightly reduce convenience, he considers it vital for dismantling the visible chain of associations currently undermining user privacy.
To further bolster private interactions, he advocates for privacy-preserving self-transactions and the implementation of protocol-level tools like FOCIL and EIP-7701. Collectively, these standards would enable privacy-focused applications to operate independently of public transaction relays, thereby enhancing resistance to censorship.
The Philosophical Shift Toward Unconditional Privacy
Buterin’s latest proposal reflects a growing consensus within the Ethereum community regarding the notion that privacy should be inherent and not merely a feature that can be opted into. He aligns himself with Ethereum developer pcaversaccio’s criticism of the traditional “opt-in” privacy model, labeling it as fundamentally problematic.
He emphasizes that the existing paradigm, which forces users to make intentional choices—often sacrificing convenience and usability to achieve privacy—is unsustainable. Privacy should be the default, woven into the Ethereum protocol stack.
Transactions, smart contracts, and user interactions should inherently protect user confidentiality, reinforcing privacy as a standard rather than an anomaly.
The roadmap proposed by Buterin aligns with this philosophy, advocating for user experience-first, protocol-driven mechanisms that render private activity indistinguishable from public transactions. The ultimate aim is to create an Ethereum that stands as a maximally private and self-sovereign financial system, one where privacy is not merely an added bonus but a core principle.
Scaling Layer-1: How Buterin’s Broader Vision for Ethereum Supports Privacy and Resilience
Vitalik Buterin’s emphasis on privacy forms part of a larger architectural vision he has been developing throughout the year. He has previously asserted that Ethereum’s future hinges on improvements across both Layer-1 (L1) and Layer-2 (L2), adopting a hybrid strategy to sustain scalability, decentralization, and resilience.
During a Tako Q&A, @VitalikButerin elaborated on Ethereum’s evolving structure, addressing the importance of L1 security, L2 expansion, and the necessity of flexibility for long-term sustainability in blockchain technology. #VitalikButerin #Ethereum $ETH https://t.co/IouwHwmWmU
— Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) February 19, 2025
Buterin asserts that these changes would enable Ethereum to handle a greater volume of transactions while preserving its decentralized ethos. However, he warns against exclusively pursuing an L2-centric approach, reiterating that it is essential for Ethereum to maintain a solid and scalable base layer.
This same theme of resilience is reflected in his recent blog post proposing a tenfold increase in L1 gas capacity.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin suggests scaling Ethereum’s #L1 gas capacity by 10x, advocating for advantages in security, efficiency, and resistance to censorship. This move could facilitate smooth exits to #L2 and reduce transaction costs. #Blockchain #Ethereum #Web3 https://t.co/V3ErCDvV76
— Cryptonews.com (@cryptonews) February 14, 2025
While the network has recently increased its L1 gas limit from 30 to 36 million—an enhancement of 20%—Buterin argues that further scaling is not only warranted but imperative. Through this, his advocacy for privacy, scalability, and decentralization converge towards a unified vision of Ethereum as a secure, self-sovereign platform, accessible not just to the technically adept but to all users.
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