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Ethereum Foundation Issues Mandate Codifying CROPS, Reaffirming Neutral Stewardship

The 38-page doctrine signals independence from protocol-level surveillance proposals by directing future support to open, trust‑minimized systems.

Overview

  • The EF Board published the EF Mandate on March 13, formalizing the foundation’s role as steward of Ethereum rather than owner or ruler.
  • The document centers censorship resistance, open source, privacy and security as indivisible priorities guiding all development.
  • Funding and endorsements will favor transparent, trust‑minimized, privacy‑preserving projects, not designs with compliance hard‑coded into the base layer.
  • Technical work highlighted includes inclusion guarantees such as FOCIL, account abstraction, selective aggregation and continued post‑quantum research.
  • The foundation commits to protecting user self‑sovereignty through concepts like the walkaway test and a protective “zero option” UX, while aiming to reduce its relative influence over time.