Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin’s long-standing advocacy for user confidentiality has been structurally integrated into the blockchain’s future following the launch of an ambitious new privacy roadmap. The Ethereum Foundation’s specialized group, now rebranded as the <b>Privacy Stewards of Ethereum (PSE)</b>, has shifted its focus from exploratory research to the practical implementation of privacy solutions across the entire technical stack. This decisive move validates Buterin’s repeated arguments that robust privacy must be a fundamental, "first-class" property of the decentralized web.
<h2>The Three Pillars of Invisible Transactions</h2>
The newly unveiled roadmap centers on delivering end-to-end privacy, organized around three strategic pillars: Private Writes, Private Reads, and Private Proving. <b>Private Writes</b> aim to make confidential on-chain actions, such as transactions and DeFi operations, as seamless and cost-effective as public ones. <b>Private Reads</b> focus on preventing metadata leakage when users query the blockchain, while <b>Private Proving</b> seeks to make zero-knowledge proofs—the cryptographic engine for privacy—more efficient and accessible.

Among the key initiatives highlighted is the continued development of the <b>Kohaku</b> privacy wallet, a proof-of-concept designed to natively support stealth addresses and private sending via zero-knowledge tools, significantly improving user experience for confidential transactions.
<h2>Protecting Global Freedom</h2>
[embed]https://twitter.com/VitalikButerin/status/1976200898851504507[/embed]

The urgency of this pivot stems from the belief that public ledgers, without adequate safeguards, pose a significant surveillance risk. The PSE issued a powerful warning within the roadmap that echoes Buterin’s sentiment on digital freedom: <b>"Without strong privacy, Ethereum risks becoming the backbone of global surveillance rather than global freedom."</b>

The push for a private-by-default environment is intended to ensure <a href="https://www.cryptoknowmics.com/news/spot-ethereum-etfs-record-187m-outflow-amid-eth-price-drop/">Ethereum</a> can serve as the reliable global settlement layer for commerce, identity, and governance, preventing institutional and mainstream users from migrating to platforms with higher confidentiality standards. This roadmap is a crucial step towards making privacy an inherent feature, not an optional add-on, on the world's leading smart contract platform.

Buterin's Vision Realized: Ethereum Prioritizes 'First-Class Privacy' in New Roadmap

The Ethereum Foundation's new roadmap validates Vitalik Buterin's call for "first-class privacy" with key projects like the Kohaku wallet.

Buterin's Vision Realized: Ethereum Prioritizes 'First-Class Privacy' in New Roadmap

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