Ethereum Foundation forms external council to uphold core blockchain values

The Ethereum Foundation (EF), the nonprofit organization supporting Ethereum’s ecosystem, announced the creation of an external advisory group dedicated to preserving the blockchain network’s core values.

On Feb. 28, the foundation introduced the “Silviculture Society,” a collection of individuals from outside the EF. It said the group will provide informal counsel to the EF and tend “to the (dark or otherwise) forests in the infinite garden of Ethereum.”

The nonprofit said the group would work to ensure that Ethereum sustains its core values of open source, privacy, security and censorship resistance. The EF said the network’s success depends on having committed developers who build with these values in mind. 

The EF tagged 15 individuals who were part of the council, including researchers, developers and project founders. 

Vitalik Buterin criticizes crypto’s moral shift 

The formation of the external advisory group follows Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin’s recent criticism of the crypto industry’s moral shift toward gambling.

On Feb. 20, Buterin was asked to share his frustrations with the industry in the past year. The Ethereum co-founder answered that one of his disappointments was the backlash against Ethereum for not embracing blockchain-based casinos. 

Buterin said Ethereum was being labeled as “bad and intolerant” because it doesn’t respect the “casinos” enough, while other chains were seen as better because they do. The Ethereum co-founder said that if the community reversed its values, he would not be interested in participating in the space.

However, he said that when he engaged with community members offline, the sentiments differed, reassuring him that the space’s values remain intact. 

Related: Ethereum Foundation wants a social media guru to help it ‘yap better’

Ethereum Foundation pledges $1.25M to Tornado Cash developer

Upholding its open source values, the EF recently pledged over $1 million for the legal defense of Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev. On Feb. 26, the EF announced the donation, saying that privacy is normal and that writing code is not a crime.

Pertsev responded to the organization, thanking them for making a significant donation toward his defense. The developer said he is focusing on preparing his appeal and that the donation “means the world” to him.

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