Ethereum’s next major upgrade is drawing serious attention across the developer community. Among the 66 proposals currently under review, several aim to integrate privacy features directly at the protocol level — a shift that could fundamentally reshape Ethereum’s architecture. The question is no longer whether privacy will come to Ethereum, but how and when.
Hegotá: 66 EIPs in the Running, but Only One Confirmed So Far
Ethereum developers are currently reviewing 66 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) as part of the next upgrade, dubbed Hegotá. At this stage, only one proposal has been officially confirmed for inclusion: FOCIL (Fork-Choice enforced Inclusion Lists), a mechanism designed to strengthen censorship resistance across the network.
The rest of the pipeline remains open. Among the most closely watched proposals are EIP-8141, EIP-8250, and EIP-8272 — all three focused on introducing native privacy capabilities at the protocol level. These EIPs are not aimed at creating an anonymous payment system in the vein of Monero, but rather at providing decentralized applications with native cryptographic primitives — foundational building blocks that would enable more robust privacy solutions with far less reliance on third-party layers.
In practical terms, this means that protocols like Tornado Cash and other mixing solutions currently deployed as overlays could, over time, leverage tools built directly into Ethereum’s base layer — with major implications for security, efficiency, and protocol-level legitimacy.
Why Native Privacy on Ethereum Changes Everything
Today, Ethereum operates as a fully public ledger: every transaction, every balance, and every smart contract interaction is visible to anyone with a block explorer. This radical transparency is a genuine barrier to institutional adoption and to certain legitimate use cases — think of businesses that have no desire to expose their on-chain financial flows, or individuals concerned about their privacy under authoritarian regimes.
Integrating privacy tools at the protocol level would address this structural problem without sacrificing decentralization. The EIPs under consideration explore the use of zero-knowledge proofs (ZK-proofs) and other advanced cryptographic mechanisms to obscure certain transaction data while preserving the network’s verifiability. This is precisely the approach taken by blockchains such as Monero and Aztec Network — only this time applied directly to Ethereum’s base layer.
The stakes are also competitive: networks like Solana and specialized L2s are moving quickly on these fronts. If Ethereum manages to standardize privacy at the L1 level, it would significantly boost its appeal to DeFi developers and enterprise applications seeking a workable balance between transparency and data protection.
An Uncertain Timeline, but a Strong Signal for the Ecosystem
Confirmation that privacy-related EIPs will be included in Hegotá is far from guaranteed. Ethereum’s governance process is rigorous: every proposal must pass through phases of technical review, community debate, and testnet trials before it can be approved. Core developers remain cautious, particularly around the risks of added protocol complexity and the potential regulatory implications.
That said, the very fact that multiple privacy EIPs are being seriously considered within the scope of a major upgrade is a meaningful signal in itself. It reflects a shift in the philosophy of Ethereum’s developers, who now recognize privacy not as an optional add-on, but as a fundamental component of a mature public network. The community is watching the upcoming Ethereum Core Developer Calls closely for more clarity on which proposals will ultimately make the cut.
