Ethereum Co-founder Vitalik Buterin released the Ethereum L1 Privacy Roadmap (Simplified Version) today, which consists of four main forms of privacy. The roadmap aims to elevate the privacy level of the Ethereum ecosystem and form a basis for in-depth long-term solutions, such as L1 improvements or dedicated Rollups.
My own current privacy roadmap (much lighter on L1 changes, but also more limited in its consequences): https://t.co/gBtRAC4Ou7
Highly encourage people to read both! https://t.co/vNw0ubNpEd
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) April 11, 2025
Vitalik’s Privacy-Enhanced Wallet Design Principles:
- Seamless Privacy Tools Integration: Embed tools like Railgun or Privacy Pools directly into existing wallets. Introduce a “shielded balance” feature with an optional (default-on) setting to send from it. The goal is to make privacy feel intuitive, no need for separate privacy-specific wallets.
- One Address per App: It should be made default to create a unique address for each app. Even though this reduces convenience, it’s important to break public links between user activity across apps. It also aligns well with in-app wallets and cross-chain workflows.
- Private Send-to-Self: This allows one to automatically make self-transfers private to support per-app address privacy without exposing links.
- Adopt FOCIL and EIP-7701: Use these standards to boost privacy and censorship resistance. EIP-7701’s account abstraction pairs well with a FOCIL variant, removing the need for relays and easing development of privacy protocols.
- Short-Term RPC Privacy via TEEs: Integrate TEE-backed RPC privacy (e.g., Automata’s model) into wallets. Harden these setups to better protect user data when interacting with nodes.
- Long-Term RPC Privacy via PIR: Replace TEEs with Private Information Retrieval as it matures. Using hybrid models in the meantime to bridge the gap and enhance privacy over time.
- Multi-RPC & Mixnet Connections: Connect wallets to multiple RPC nodes (optionally via mixnets), using different ones per dapp. Add security layers like light client verification to strengthen trust and reduce metadata leaks.
- Proof Aggregation: Develop protocols that combine multiple private transactions into one on-chain proof to cut gas costs.
- Private Keystore Wallets: Build wallets that support private key upgrades across L1 and L2s in a single transaction, without linking private assets, enabling more secure and private key management.
According to Vitalik, this roadmap can be combined with the long-term roadmap, which may involve deeper changes to L1, application-specific privacy-preserving Rollups, or other more complex features. The roadmap proposes the integration of privacy tools (such as Railgun), default “one address per app,” implementation of FOCIL and EIP-7701, among other measures.
Vitalik pointed out that the goal of the roadmap is to achieve default privacy transactions, cross-app activity unlinkability, and to defend against on-chain and RPC node privacy threats, setting a new benchmark for privacy protection in the Ethereum ecosystem.
Also Read: Vitalik Buterin Proposes Strategic Rollups Support for Ethereum L1, L2 Expansion
