Ethereum News Update: Buterin: Ethereum's Privacy Features Require Improved User Experience

Vitalik Buterin, one of the founders of

, has introduced Kohaku, a framework centered on privacy that seeks to strengthen onchain privacy and security for Ethereum participants. Revealed at the Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress 2 on November 16, 2025, in the Ethereum Foundation’s mission to embed privacy as a fundamental aspect of the blockchain landscape. This project brings modular tools that empower developers to create secure, privacy-centric wallets and .

Buterin pointed out that

in building privacy infrastructure—including elliptic-curve precompiles and zkSNARK technology—there remains a significant gap in user experience. In his keynote, he remarked that "the cryptography is solid, but the user experience is lacking," emphasizing that ordinary users still find it difficult to achieve meaningful privacy despite technical progress. For instance, and does not support multi-signature features, making adoption more challenging. Buterin described this as the "final stretch" in privacy deployment, and enhance anonymity at the network level.

Buterin described privacy as a basic human right, stating, "Privacy is freedom... Privacy is order... And privacy is progress." He maintained that privacy allows people to live without ongoing oversight from centralized or decentralized organizations and is vital for sectors such as healthcare and scientific research. , making sure privacy features are accessible to everyone, not just those with technical expertise, and are integrated into popular wallets like MetaMask and Rainbow.

Kohaku’s architecture reflects the Ethereum Foundation’s larger dedication to privacy. Just last month,

, a group of 47 researchers and cryptography experts working to make privacy a "core characteristic" of Ethereum. This comes after to the Privacy Stewards of Ethereum, indicating a move from theoretical research to addressing tangible privacy issues. The foundation is also focusing on features such as "private voting" and confidential DeFi, .

The Kohaku initiative remains under development, with its GitHub currently featuring protocols like Railgun and Privacy Pools,

while staying compliant. A demonstration at the event showed how a Kohaku wallet could use Railgun to hide funds that would otherwise be visible on-chain, in wallets connected to Ethereum.

As the blockchain sector faces regulatory and scalability pressures, Ethereum’s renewed focus on privacy could help it lead in user-first security. Still, Buterin’s vision

between advanced cryptographic methods and intuitive user interfaces—a challenge that will need cooperation among developers, academics, and the wider community.