'Ethereum Is Going Hard': Vitalik Buterin Backs Censorship Resistance Upgrade
Ethereum is implementing Fork-Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists (FOCIL) in its upcoming Hegota upgrade, scheduled for the second half of 2026. FOCIL, detailed in EIP-7805, mandates that validators include all valid transactions in blocks to enhance censorship resistance at the protocol level. If a proposed block omits valid public-mempool transactions, the network can fork to ensure these transactions are included within a bounded number of slots. This change aims to prevent validators from excluding transactions for reasons such as government sanctions, addressing issues like past censorship of Tornado Cash-related transactions. FOCIL works alongside EIP-8141, which promotes smart accounts and privacy protocols as first-class citizens within the Ethereum network. Together, these proposals guarantee rapid inclusion—typically within one to two slots—for virtually any valid transaction, even in adversarial scenarios. While proponents, including Vitalik Buterin, frame this as reinforcing Ethereum’s cypherpunk ethos, some developers caution FOCIL could introduce complexities and unintended consequences for validators. Nonetheless, Ethereum’s development community believes the changes strengthen network guarantees against censorship.
