The Ethereum Foundation’s Privacy & Scaling Explorations (PSE) team has revealed a revamped vision for the future of privacy on Ethereum. Now rebranded as the Privacy Stewards of Ethereum, the team is making it clear: privacy isn’t optional—it’s essential.
As global awareness of data protection and surveillance grows, the Ethereum ecosystem is under pressure to offer stronger privacy guarantees. PSE’s new roadmap puts privacy at the forefront of Ethereum’s next phase, combining cutting-edge research with real-world problem-solving.
A Problem-First Mission to Embed Privacy Across Ethereum
In a blog post published on September 13, the PSE team outlined a new “problem-first” development approach. Instead of simply building new tools, they’re prioritizing real challenges faced by users and developers in today’s blockchain landscape.
The goal? To identify key gaps in Ethereum’s infrastructure and co-create solutions that make privacy a default setting, not a niche feature.
This approach is more than technical—it’s strategic. With institutions, developers, and everyday users demanding better confidentiality, PSE is working closely with the broader Ethereum community to drive adoption and build trust.
Three Pillars: Private Writes, Reads, and Proving Systems
The team’s updated strategy focuses on three critical components of privacy infrastructure:
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Private Writes: Making on-chain activity like transfers and contract interactions more efficient—and more private. This means shielding sensitive transaction data without compromising usability or gas efficiency.
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Private Reads: Allowing users to access decentralized applications (dApps) without revealing their wallet address or identity. This is a major step toward private-by-default interactions on Ethereum.
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Private Proving: Optimizing how cryptographic proofs (such as zero-knowledge proofs) are generated and verified, reducing complexity for developers and improving scalability for privacy-focused apps.
Together, these pillars form the foundation for a more private, scalable Ethereum ecosystem—where user confidentiality is built into the protocol layer.
What’s Next: Privacy Transfers, Wallet Standards & Confidential DeFi
Looking ahead, the Privacy Stewards of Ethereum plan to make significant progress in the next 3 to 6 months. Their roadmap includes:
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Rolling out privacy-enabled transfer mechanisms
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Enhancing network-level privacy protections
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Creating standards for privacy-preserving wallets
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Promoting confidential DeFi adoption at the institutional level
This initiative is not just about safeguarding user data—it’s about future-proofing Ethereum for mainstream adoption in a world where privacy is becoming non-negotiable.
