Ethereum Foundation Launches Expanded Privacy Cluster
The Ethereum Foundation (EF) has launched an expanded Privacy Cluster to strengthen its commitment to user privacy. The cluster includes 47 researchers, cryptographers, and engineers. They focus on applied cryptography, private transactions, and selective disclosure tools.
This new cluster builds on years of open-source research by the foundation’s Privacy & Scaling Explorations (PSE) team. It formalizes projects like Private Reads & Writes, Private Proving, and Private Identities. These projects aim to provide secure, privacy-preserving features for Ethereum users and institutions.
The EF also manages the Institutional Privacy Task Force (IPTF). This group converts compliance and operational standards into technical solutions for businesses.
The foundation states that privacy is essential for trust on a global scale. It aims to ensure users can transact, communicate, and build without surveillance. This aligns with Ethereum’s role as the base layer for open digital economies.
Privacy Integration from Protocol to Institutions
The EF’s privacy efforts cover all layers, from cryptographic research to enterprise applications. Projects like Semaphore (anonymous signaling), MACI (private voting), and zkEmail are already used in the ecosystem.
The next phase will focus on privacy for institutional use cases. These include real-world assets, fund management, and compliance-driven payments.
The EF’s Kohaku Wallet, an open-source SDK, aims to make strong cryptography accessible to everyday users. New zero-knowledge initiatives will allow organizations to verify data without revealing it. Together, these efforts seek to make privacy the default in decentralized systems.
XRPL Advances Institutional Privacy Alongside Ethereum
Ethereum’s privacy push coincides with similar moves by other blockchains. The XRP Ledger (XRPL), supported by Ripple, is developing privacy features using zero-knowledge proofs and encrypted balances. These target institutional adoption within regulatory frameworks.
Ripple’s engineers highlight privacy as key for large-scale financial onboarding. This view closely matches Ethereum’s approach. Both networks see privacy as a form of compliance.
Ethereum’s task force translates regulations into code. Ripple builds encrypted layers that allow regulatory oversight. This marks a new phase where privacy and transparency coexist.
From Ethereum’s labs to XRPL’s enterprise solutions, blockchains aim to prove that compliance and user freedom can work together.
