Too transparent to be free? Ethereum, this decentralized factory of cryptic dreams, carries a flaw in its code: privacy is not really cared for. Every click, every transaction, every interaction is etched in the public marble of the blockchain. The cypherpunk ideal of a sovereign Internet seems to have diluted into a soup of infinitely traceable smart contracts. But here comes Vitalik Buterin rolling up his sleeves. The co-founder of the ethereal empire proposes a pragmatic roadmap, not to revolutionize everything… but to finally protect the average user like a true citizen of Web3.

A four-tier vision for regained intimacy

In a stark but sharp post, Vitalik Buterin identifies the four critical areas where privacy is humiliated daily:

• on-chain payments (visible to all, all the time);
• interactions in dApps (a true logbook for maliciously curious individuals);
• readings via RPC (you consult, we follow you);
• and the network itself, which tracks your movements better than a GPS.

His goal? Not a great cryptographic evening, but a series of concrete fixes that do not require any redesign of layer 1. We optimize what exists. We add a touch of strategy.

And above all, we act without waiting for the Holy Ethereum 4.0 Update.

Discreet wallets, well-founded standards

MetaMask, Rabby, and all the others are called to wake up. No more extensions that expose you like a flashy sign. Buterin wants them to natively integrate tools like Railgun or Privacy Pools. The user will not have to choose between anonymity and simplicity: they will have a “shielded” balance by default, and discreet payment options at their fingertips.

Another radical change proposed: a different address per application. Less convenient? Certainly. But as Vitalik says, “it’s a tough pill to swallow“. Because this fragmentation breaks the bridges between usages and makes surveillance much harder.

And to avoid burning his own addresses against each other, sending funds to oneself must also become invisible by default. It’s good cryptographic sense: you don’t leave crumbs when you want to cover your tracks.

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Soft resistance: RPC, mixnets, and shared proofs

Buterin’s technical arsenal does not stop there. He urges the adoption of FOCIL and EIP-7701, two standards that would allow privacy protocols to operate without relays or central points. It’s the key to escaping censorship, while streamlining usage.

But discretion also goes through RPCs. Today, querying the chain amounts to handing over your identity card. The solution? Trusted Execution Environments (TEE) for the short term, followed by PIR systems when the technology matures. And above all, going through mixnets, these VPNs turned into anonymity ninjas.

Another trick: aggregation of proofs. By merging several transactions into one cryptographic proof, we reduce fees and facilitate adoption. All while keeping the essence of “Zero Knowledge” intact.

Finally, Buterin mentions wallets capable of changing keys without exposing the old ones, allowing everyone the right to be reborn digitally, without anyone being able to trace back their history.

Key points to remember:

• Vitalik proposes a minimal but ambitious roadmap for privacy;
• The goal: no public links between apps, and anonymous payments by default;
• FOCIL and EIP-7701 standards are at the heart of the project;
• Wallets should switch between multiple RPCs, ideally via mixnets;
• All this can be implemented without affecting Ethereum’s consensus.

The message is clear: no need to vote for a technical revolution to reclaim privacy. The work is done here and now, in wallets, standards, and habits. It’s a soft reform, but fundamental. As the tweet quoted by Vitalik reminds us: “Make Ethereum Cypherpunk Again” is not just a slogan. It’s an act of resistance.