Ethereum News Today: Buterin’s FOCIL Push Sparks Clash Over Ethereum’s Censorship Edge

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has advocated for the implementation of Fork-Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists (FOCIL), a proposed Ethereum Improvement Protocol (EIP-7805), to enhance the network’s neutrality and resistance to censorship. According to Buterin, the Ethereum mainnet's “dumb pipe” property—processing all valid transactions without discrimination—is critical to maintaining the integrity of the Layer-1 network. He emphasized that this neutrality must be safeguarded through multiple measures, including maintaining a robust public mempool, advancing distributed block-building technologies, and introducing additional transaction inclusion channels [1].

FOCIL is positioned as one such mechanism. It aims to expand the number of proposers per block slot from one to 17. Under this framework, one proposer would have the authority to finalize transaction order, while the remaining 16 proposers would have the responsibility to include transactions, without needing to perform full state computations [2]. This design reduces the computational burden on non-privileged proposers and could enable more decentralized participation in transaction validation.

Buterin explained that the goal of FOCIL is to ensure that no block builder has the unilateral power to exclude any valid transaction. He further noted that the proposal could eventually extend its censorship-resistant properties to smart contract wallets and privacy protocols, reducing the reliance on centralized entities for transaction inclusion [3].

However, the proposal has faced criticism, particularly from Ameen Soleimani, co-founder of Reflexer Labs. Soleimani argued that FOCIL could expose Ethereum validators, especially those in the United States, to legal risks. By mandating the inclusion of transactions from sanctioned addresses, validators may face prosecution under sanctions laws. He cited the recent U.S. criminal charges against Tornado Cash developers as a cautionary example [1]. Soleimani emphasized that Ethereum’s current censorship resistance model—where validators can choose which transactions to include—has proven functional and allows validators in jurisdictions with strict sanctions to filter transactions while others in more lenient regions can process them [2].

Soleimani also challenged the perceived threat of block builder centralization. He pointed out that, despite concerns over a block builder oligopoly, transactions from sanctioned addresses are still being processed. He noted that only two of three major block builders currently engage in censorship, and the remaining 90% of validators do not [3]. Thus, he argues that FOCIL may be an unnecessary and risky intervention that could alienate U.S. participants and undermine Ethereum’s decentralization.

Buterin, however, maintains that the potential legal risks are a necessary trade-off for maintaining Ethereum’s neutrality. He believes that Ethereum should prioritize its core principle of treating all valid transactions equally, regardless of legal or political implications [1].

The ongoing debate reflects broader challenges within the Ethereum community in balancing regulatory compliance with blockchain neutrality. While FOCIL aims to reinforce Ethereum’s censorship resistance, it also raises important questions about the legal and operational risks for validators and developers. As discussions continue, Ethereum developers remain divided on the most appropriate path forward, with some advocating for further research into alternative censorship-resistant mechanisms [4].

Source:

[1] Vitalik pushes FOCIL upgrade to keep Ethereum neutral (https://www.mitrade.com/insights/news/live-news/article-3-1063917-20250823)

[2] Vitalik Buterin: FOCIL can reaffirm Ethereum impartiality (https://crypto.news/vitalik-buterin-focil-reaffirm-ethereum-impartiality/)

[3] Vitalik Buterin's FOCIL proposal reignites censorship debate (https://www.cryptopolitan.com/vitalik-buterins-focil-censorship-ethereum/)

[4] Ethereum Co-Founder Raises Concerns About Censorship (https://intellectia.ai/news/crypto/ethereum-cofounder-sounds-alarm-on-censorship--but-his-solution-sparks-controversy)