The Ethereum Foundation has set its sights firmly on privacy, unveiling a new roadmap that seeks to ensure the world’s second-largest blockchain protects users as it scales into a global settlement layer.
On September 12, the organization’s research arm formerly known as the Privacy & Scaling Explorations team announced a rebrand to Privacy Stewards of Ethereum (PSE). The new identity reflects a shift away from speculative research toward practical problem-solving and real-world improvements across the Ethereum ecosystem.
Why privacy matters for Ethereum
In a statement accompanying the roadmap, team member Sam Richards emphasized the stakes: without robust privacy guarantees, Ethereum could evolve into a tool of surveillance rather than one of freedom. He argued that the blockchain must give individuals the ability to transact, interact, and prove information without compromising their identities or intentions.
Three pillars of the privacy plan
The roadmap highlights three core areas of development:
- Private writes – enabling onchain actions that are as low-cost and seamless as public transactions, while shielding sensitive details.
- Private reads – allowing users to access blockchain data without exposing their identity or the purpose of their queries.
- Private proving – making zero-knowledge proof generation and verification both faster and more accessible, to scale privacy for everyday use cases.
Looking ahead
The Ethereum Foundation cautioned that priorities within these tracks will adapt as technology and adoption evolve, with varying timelines for implementation. Still, the overarching goal remains constant: to weave privacy deeply into Ethereum’s architecture, ensuring its role as a decentralized settlement layer is anchored in user protection rather than exposure.
