Vitalik wrote about why privacy needs to be a core pillar of Ethereum, not some optional add-on. The idea is simple: if all data is public, whoever can analyze it ends up with the power. Decentralization isn’t real if information itself isn’t protected. For years, crypto basically avoided privacy because we didn’t have the tools to do it right. Now we do ZK, FHE, all the programmable crypto stuff that lets users stay protected without trusting anyone. He breaks privacy into three ideas: 1. Privacy = Freedom If everything you do is visible, you start performing instead of acting how you actually want. Privacy gives people space to be normal humans without thinking “who’s watching me right now.” 2. Privacy = Stability A lot of systems rely on selective secrecy. Secret ballots exist for a reason. If every action was public, everything would get distorted by pressure, bribery, or social dynamics. 3. Privacy = Innovation Healthcare, AI, personalized apps, all of this needs sensitive data. People won’t share it unless the tech guarantees safety. Cryptography lets us use data without exposing the person behind it. He ends on a pretty real warning: AI, biometrics, brain-computer interfaces… the amount of data humans generate is about to explode. If privacy isn’t built in now, it’s going to be really hard to get it back later. But the upside is huge: strong cryptography could make the internet feel way safer and way more cooperative than what we have today. “Privacy is not about standing apart. It’s about standing together.”