In a significant shift aimed at enhancing user privacy on its platform, the Ethereum Foundation has rebranded its Privacy & Scaling Explorations team to Privacy Stewards for Ethereum (PSE). This transformation sets forth an ambitious roadmap that seeks to make privacy a default feature across Ethereum’s entire technical framework.
The focus of PSE now pivots from exploring cryptographic advancements to implementing problem-first solutions that target Ethereum’s vulnerabilities to surveillance. The newly defined mission encompasses three main objectives: enabling private writes to ensure on-chain actions are as cost-effective and seamless as public transactions; facilitating private reads to allow for blockchain queries free from surveillance; and developing mechanisms for private proving to support accessible data verification.
This initiative is particularly timely, following comments from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, who highlighted the necessity of prioritizing privacy to ensure Ethereum’s viability as a global settlement infrastructure. The PSE roadmap warns that absent substantial privacy protections, Ethereum risks morphing into a tool for global surveillance rather than a framework for freedom. The team stresses that without secure private transactions, both institutions and individual users may turn to alternative platforms, thus undermining Ethereum’s standing.
Transitioning from a previous focus on “cool tech,” PSE is committing to concrete problem-solving that prioritizes ecosystem outcomes over internal project challenges. The team has revamped its website to reflect this new approach and is concentrating on a resource allocation strategy driven by real-world problems rather than abstract technological innovations.
PSE’s new plan features ongoing problem mapping, decision-making across various levels of engagement, and open communication through newsletters, community calls, and dedicated working groups. Drawing inspiration from successful protocols and feedback from industry stakeholders, PSE has highlighted key initiatives including PlasmaFold, aimed at private transfers via PCD and folding, with a proof-of-concept expected by the time of the upcoming Devconnect conference.
Furthermore, the team is advancing the development of the Kohaku privacy wallet, which centers on implementing zk account recovery frameworks and keystore functionalities for stealth addresses. Another critical aspect is the focus on private governance, showcased through the upcoming “State of Private Voting 2025” report and collaborations with Aragon for protocol integrations.
The formation of the Institutional Privacy Task Force represents another major advance, designed to facilitate the adoption of privacy features through well-defined specifications and proofs of concept. Additionally, PSE is monitoring TLSNotary development and zkTLS protocols to ensure high standards of data portability while also working on software development kits (SDKs) for smoother integration across various platforms.
Privacy-related initiatives also involve working groups focused on Private Remote Procedure Calls (RPC), methods for privacy-preserving state read operations, and implementing sphinx mixing protocols for enhanced broadcast privacy. As part of its comprehensive approach, PSE is methodically investigating state-of-the-art techniques in Oblivious RAM (ORAM) and Private Information Retrieval (PIR) to translate academic research into practical applications for wallets and browsers.
Rising concerns from industry veterans underscore the pressing need for these privacy enhancements. In a recent discussion, Petro Golovko from the British Gold Trust articulated how public blockchains compromise user confidentiality, rendering crypto practically unusable for individuals and institutions alike. He analogized the present state of blockchain transparency to the pre-SSL era of the internet, when potential users were hesitant to share sensitive information due to a lack of encryption.
Moreover, the conversation around institutional adoption delves into the implications of exposed trade secrets and the competitive disadvantages posed by visible financial transactions on public ledgers. Golovko cautioned that organizations are unlikely to implement systems that expose supply chain details, which limits crypto’s potential to evolve from speculative trading into serious commerce.
In light of growing regulatory pressures, such as those stemming from the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the urgency surrounding privacy protocols has intensified. As the team forges ahead, PSE aims to foster ecosystem-wide adoption, positioning privacy and robust security as central pillars of Ethereum’s decentralized identity frameworks.
