Ethereum News Today: Ethereum Bakes Privacy into Protocol, Citing Human Right as Foundation

Ethereum developers have unveiled a transformative privacy and security roadmap dubbed Kohaku, designed to enhance wallet functionality through modular privacy tools and protocol-level innovations. Announced by Ethereum Foundation coordinator Nicolas Consigny in a blog post, the initiative aims to reduce reliance on centralized services by introducing features such as private transaction sending and receiving, IP address obfuscation, and account-specific decentralized application (dApp) isolation. The project leverages a software development kit (SDK) and a reference wallet prototype, initially released as a browser extension based on the Ambire wallet, to demonstrate its capabilities to advanced users and developers.

Central to Kohaku's design is its modular architecture, which allows developers to integrate privacy modules selectively. The roadmap emphasizes a "privacy-first" approach, including tools like ZK Email and Anon Aadhaar for social recovery, which enable users to regain access to wallets without compromising privacy. ZK Email employs zero-knowledge proofs to verify email ownership without exposing the address, while Anon Aadhaar-a zero-knowledge protocol-lets Indian Aadhaar ID holders prove identity without revealing personal data. These tools aim to address critical pain points in wallet recovery, a process often reliant on centralized intermediaries.

The Ethereum Foundation has also launched a Privacy Cluster, a 47-member team of cryptographers, researchers, and engineers, to embed privacy features at Ethereum's protocol layer. This initiative aligns with broader goals to make privacy a "first-class property" of the blockchain, as outlined in a separate roadmap. The Privacy Cluster will collaborate with the Privacy and Scaling Explorations (PSE) team to develop solutions such as private payments, confidential identity systems, and zero-knowledge infrastructure. Vitalik Buterin, Ethereum's co-founder, has emphasized the importance of privacy as a "human right baked into protocol design," a philosophy reflected in Kohaku's development.

Kohaku's technical roadmap includes phased implementations, starting with local light client integration (Helios) to verify blockchain data without relying on remote procedure call (RPC) servers. Future phases aim to introduce post-quantum cryptographic safeguards, peer-to-peer transaction broadcasting, and a "universal Ethereum app" for hardware wallets to prevent vendor lock-in. The project also plans to develop a native Ethereum browser with enhanced security and explore AI-driven transaction risk scoring to identify malicious smart contract interactions. These advancements align with Ethereum's broader vision to position privacy as a foundational element of its infrastructure, rather than an add-on feature.

Market dynamics underscore the urgency of these efforts. According to data cited by Crypto Rand, privacy-focused tokens have outperformed the broader crypto market by 65.3% over the past 30 days, reflecting growing demand for confidentiality tools. Regulatory pressures and AI-driven surveillance further amplify the need for privacy-preserving solutions. Kohaku's launch at the Devcon conference in Argentina in November 2025 will mark a pivotal step in Ethereum's transition from reactive compliance to proactive privacy design. If successful, the initiative could redefine Ethereum's protocol standards, embedding privacy as a default feature for mainstream adoption.

Source: [1] Cointelegraph (https://cointelegraph.com/news/ethereum-devs-unveil-kohaku-wallet-privacy-roadmap)

[2] Atomic Wallet (https://atomicwallet.io/academy/articles/kohaku-unveils-ethereums-privacy-and-security-roadmap)

[3] Cryptoslate (https://cryptoslate.com/ethereum-doubles-down-on-privacy-with-new-kohaku-wallet-ahead-of-devcon/)

[4] Cryptopolitan (https://www.cryptopolitan.com/ethereum-foundation-roadmap-for-kohaku/)