Vitalik Buterin Reveals Ethereum’s Plan to Fight Censorship

• FOCIL ensures rapid inclusion of Ethereum transactions, even under adversarial conditions.
• EIP-8141 enables smart accounts and privacy protocols to operate onchain directly.
• Ethereum upgrades aim to maintain decentralization while strengthening censorship resistance.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has shared a major development for the network. He took to social media to explain how two key upgrades work together.

The goal is simple: no transaction should ever get blocked. This comes as the Ethereum community moves closer to making censorship resistance a core feature. It is a significant moment for the network and its users.

What FOCIL Brings to the Table

FOCIL, short for EIP-7805, was recently shortlisted for the upcoming Hegota fork.

Developer soispoke.eth confirmed this on social media, calling it the “CL headliner” for the fork. FOCIL will guarantee fast transaction inclusion.

It works by spreading inclusion power across 17 different actors per slot. These actors are chosen randomly, which makes it very hard for any single party to block transactions.

Buterin explained that even if every block gets sold to a hostile actor, transactions can still get through. The system ensures inclusion within one to two slots. That is nearly instant in blockchain terms.

There is also an important synergy between FOCIL and AA (EIP-8141, which is based on 7701):

8141 makes not just smart accounts (including multisig, quantum-resistant signatures, key changes, gas sponsorship) first-class citizens, it also can do the same for privacy protocols… https://t.co/wLCEuq66eI

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) February 19, 2026

How EIP-8141 Strengthens the System

EIP-8141, also called AA, is the second piece of the puzzle. It builds on EIP-7701 and makes smart accounts full participants in the Ethereum ecosystem.

This covers multisig wallets, quantum-resistant signatures, gas sponsorship, and privacy protocols. Under this upgrade, these account types no longer need wrappers or third-party intermediaries. Their transactions go directly onchain.

Buterin noted that privacy protocol transactions could be sent through a public mempool.

A FOCIL includer receives them directly. No extra steps. No middlemen. This is a big shift in how Ethereum handles different account types.

The Combined Effect on Censorship Resistance

Together, FOCIL and EIP-8141 create a strong shield against censorship. Buterin described the combination as guaranteeing rapid inclusion for any transaction type.

Smart wallet transactions, sponsored transactions, and privacy transactions all benefit. The 17 actors spread across each slot make blocking nearly impossible.

He also pointed out that each FOCIL is currently 8 kB, which is small. But there is room to grow. Future versions could allow most transactions in a block to flow through FOCILs.

This path could give Ethereum properties similar to multiple concurrent proposer designs, without removing the auctioned “last look” role tied to ePBS.

What This Means for Ethereum’s Neutrality

soispoke.eth framed the upgrade as more than a technical win. He called it a stand for cypherpunk values, equal access, and freedom.

Ethereum’s ability to push such upgrades through its community process sets it apart. It signals that the network will stay neutral and open, regardless of who controls block production.

Buterin wrapped up his post with confidence, writing that Ethereum is “going hard.” The broader message is clear. These upgrades are not just technical fixes. They are a statement about what Ethereum stands for as a network.