Ethereum Foundation Drops New Manifesto For The Network; What’s New?

Ethereum (ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin has outlined a new mandate for the Ethereum Foundation (EF), describing Ethereum as a form of “sanctuary technology” designed to protect digital self-sovereignty. The statement clarifies the foundation’s long-term priorities and the principles guiding its work across the Ethereum ecosystem. It also reinforces a focus on censorship resistance, privacy, open-source development, and security.

Ethereum Foundation clarifies its role

On March 13, the Ethereum Foundation’s board published the EF Mandate, a document intended to define the organization’s mission and responsibilities within the Ethereum ecosystem.

In an X post, Buterin described the mandate as a clarification of the direction the foundation has been moving toward in recent months. As he explained:

“Ethereum is a unique object and has a unique role in the world. Its role is to be a sanctuary technology, to preserve technological self-sovereignty.”

According to the document, Ethereum is meant to serve as a system that enables cooperation without coercion, domination, or centralized control while preserving users’ autonomy online.

The foundation emphasized that it acts as a steward of Ethereum rather than its ultimate authority, noting that many actors now contribute to maintaining and developing the network.

CROPS principles guide development

A central concept in the mandate is CROPS, which stands for censorship and capture resistance, open source, privacy, and security. The Ethereum Foundation said these characteristics must remain central to the network’s design.

The mandate states that Ethereum must remain “censorship resistant, open source, private, and secure (CROPS)” in order to protect user self-sovereignty. The foundation said its work will emphasize strengthening these principles both at the protocol layer and in user-facing tools and applications.

According to the EF, protecting these properties makes sure Ethereum remains resistant to centralized control as it continues to support open innovation across its ecosystem.

Focus on protocol integrity

At the protocol level, the foundation says it will prioritize decentralization, verifiability, inclusion guarantees, security, and privacy.

The mandate also highlights technical capabilities such as Layer 1 scaling, account abstraction, and certain forms of in-protocol aggregation as improvements that could strengthen Ethereum’s long-term resilience.

Buterin added that Ethereum must be designed to pass what he called the “walkaway test.” He explained that Ethereum should avoid becoming dependent on systems that users cannot leave. In his words:

“We (…) believe that the Ethereum protocol must strive to pass the walkaway test.”

A broader vision for Ethereum

All things considered, the mandate frames Ethereum as part of a wider movement focused on technologies that preserve user autonomy in increasingly centralized digital systems.

Buterin described Ethereum as “sanctuary technology”, designed to make sure that no single organization or ideology can dominate cyberspace. In its blog post, the Ethereum Foundation also stressed that its role is limited to stewardship.

“The EF is not Ethereum’s parent, ruler, or final authority. Our role is stewardship. To help Ethereum keep its original promise, and nothing else. The Mandate is our effort to state clearly what that requires of us.”

According to the foundation, clarifying these values publicly helps guide Ethereum’s development as the ecosystem continues to grow.

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