Key Notes
- Ethereum co-founder has unveiled a new pathway for maintaining network privacy.
- The roadmap released focuses on four key areas bordering on a complete chain overhaul.
- The released roadmap can be implemented without core changes to the mainnet.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed a detailed plan to improve user privacy on the blockchain without changing its core structure. The roadmap was shared on April 11 through the Ethereum Magicians forum. This comes as one of the latest direct propositions from the Ethereum innovator to enhance the overall functionality of the chain.
Vitalik Buterin’s Roadmap for Ethereum Privacy
As detailed on the Ethereum Magicians forum, Vitalik Buterin disclosed that the roadmap is intended to make everyday Ethereum
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use more private. In the update, he said privacy on the network remains weak and needs urgent attention.
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
He mentioned that the plan will focus on four major areas. They include private onchain payments, limited anonymity within decentralized applications, private data reads, and network-level protections.
Currently, Ethereum’s public design allows anyone to trace the activity of a known address. As he pointed out, a single wallet can reveal a user’s full transaction history, the application they use, and who they interact with. Buterin stressed that while this openness supports trust and security, it exposes too much personal data.
However, the Ethereum co-founder recommends that wallets like MetaMask and Rabby adopt built-in privacy tools such as Railgun and Privacy Pools to fix this. According to him, these can give users a default shielded balance and private transfer options.
Similarly, a key part of the roadmap is using different addresses for each app rather than relying on a single one across all activities. Vitalik Buterin admits this comes with some discomfort but is the most effective way to unlink user actions across various platforms.
He added that transferring Ethereum and other tokens between a user’s wallets should also be private by default, which supports the one-address-per-app design.
Still, Buterin’s roadmap is structured to avoid making changes to Ethereum’s underlying protocol. Instead, he wants wallets and developers to adopt these features as part of the normal user experience.
Calls for Immediate Action on Ethereum Privacy
As outlined in the plan, Buterin also discussed ways users can protect their data from exposure on the network. He suggested that wallets rotate between multiple RPC nodes and route requests through mixnets, privacy tools that obscure sender and recipient metadata, much like a VPN.
He suggested starting with Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs) for short-term cryptographic privacy. Afterward, there may be a shift to a Private Information Retrieval (PIR) for stronger protection.
To reduce user costs, Buterin wants to apply proof aggregation, a method where several transactions share a single onchain proof. This helps maintain privacy without becoming too expensive for regular users.
He further encouraged the adoption of new standards like FOCIL (Fork-Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists) and EIP-7701. These innovations enable privacy protocols to operate without relying on centralized relays.
Vitalik Buterin urged developers and wallet creators to act now instead of waiting for major protocol changes. Ethereum’s next upgrade, Pectra, will launch on May 7 and introduce native account abstraction.
As noted earlier by Coinspeaker, the Pectra upgrade recently reached finality on the Holesky testnet after overcoming earlier disruptions. Still, the Ethereum co-founder emphasized that the privacy roadmap does not rely on it.
Disclaimer: Coinspeaker is committed to providing unbiased and transparent reporting. This article aims to deliver accurate and timely information but should not be taken as financial or investment advice. Since market conditions can change rapidly, we encourage you to verify information on your own and consult with a professional before making any decisions based on this content.
Benjamin Godfrey is a blockchain enthusiast and journalist who relishes writing about the real life applications of blockchain technology and innovations to drive general acceptance and worldwide integration of the emerging technology. His desire to educate people about cryptocurrencies inspires his contributions to renowned blockchain media and sites.
