The Ethereum Foundation (EF) plans to integrate the anonymity tools used in the Tor network into different layers of the ecosystem, as detailed by Vitalik Buterin during a presentation at the Devconnect Argentina event.
Tor is a network designed to: Hide user’s IP address through techniques «Onion Routing». This is a system that encrypts data and sends it through multiple nodes (or onion-like layers). “onion«) To prevent anyone from determining where the traffic is coming from.
Among its functions are: “Onion Hidden Service” Or with Hidden Onion Services. The application or server is accessible without revealing its real location.
Buterin said Ethereum plans to incorporate these types of services “into every layer possible.”
The goal is to allow wallets, nodes, and applications to communicate anonymously. without exposing the user’s IP address The usage pattern is similar.
Furthermore, Vitalik explained that this initiative is in response to a conceptual change within the Ethereum Foundation.
We have moved from thinking about privacy only within the chain to a broader view that also protects the way users read data and interact with nodes.
Vitalik Buterin, founder of Ethereum.
This means that privacy does not rely solely on zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs, a technology aimed at improving privacy and increasing scalability. The optimal level of privacy Securing external connections running on your networksaid a Russian-Canadian.
For example, Ethereum offers decentralized wallets and applications (daps) References the node known as RPC. (a node that answers questions about the chain and accepts transactions).
Once an RPC node knows all of a user’s queries, it can reconstruct its access history and link usage patterns to its IP. By incorporating hidden services and routing onionEthereum is trying to prevent RPC nodes can associate queries with specific users.
Vitalik Buterin plans to add security layer to Ethereum
On the other hand, Mr. Buterin also emphasized the following in a press conference on November 21: Protection should extend to outbound transactions:
If someone is monitoring your network, they can see your transactions as soon as you leave your device. That’s why we’re focusing on that layer and raising the bar for privacy across our networks.
Vitalik Buterin, founder of Ethereum.
Without a private transport layer, an attacker could Link an IP address to a transaction.
Therefore, the integration of technologies based on Tor try to prevent that associationadds anonymity to the final application from the network level.
The following diagram shows how Tor routing technology works. “onion” Layers of nodes integrated by Ethereum:
Such routing ensures privacy by directing traffic to the next route. Entry node, intermediate node, exit nodeencrypts data with multiple layers and hides the user’s identity.
However, he did not say when these technologies would be implemented on Ethereum.
What kind of Tor technology will Ethereum include?
According to a November 25 post from the team behind Web3 Privacy Now, a research project that led privacy technology sessions during Devconnect, EF is working to introduce several Tor components to the network.
- BLOCK FOLLOWER’S SECRET CHOICES:
We plan to use a system called Single Secret Leader Election (SSLE). This technique selects a validator that proposes the next block. without others knowing.
Until the very moment of publishing a block, only the proposer himself knows his role.
This reduces risks such as attacks targeting specific validators. It also prevents observers from identifying patterns related to the proposer’s activities.
- mix net (mixed network):
In addition to similar methods, «Onion Routing»Ethereum includes: mix net, System for mixing messages to prevent tracking.
Both mechanisms prevent third parties from associating transactions with a specific user when they leave the device.
- Pluggable transport (Connectable transports):
loss “Pluggable Transport” These are modules that make Tor traffic look like a protocol that censors don’t want to block. One of them, Snowflake, converts traffic. It looks like video call traffic.
The idea is that wallets and network reading tools will support these transports, enabling censorship-resistant connections.
Impact on users and applications
Web3 Privacy Now says that both queries and transaction submissions to the chain will be protected. This will close One of the weakest points Ethereum– Traffic between users and RPC nodes.
Finally, Web3 Privacy Now has indicated that the Kohaku project reported by CriptoNoticias is already working on developing a software package to perform these functions. “Plug and play” In your wallet or application (ready to use).
As they warn, EF is trying to make adoption easier, which is why this organization is considering it. relay Compensate for the additional load generated by its introduction (relative to intermediate nodes).