Ethereum Foundation Restructures Privacy Initiative Leadership

The Ethereum Foundation (EF) announced Wednesday a new leadership structure for its privacy initiatives, appointing longtime ecosystem builder Igor Barinov as coordinator of "Privacy @ EF" and Andy Guzman as coordinator of the applied cryptography team (PSE).

What’s the Scoop?

• Leadership Changes: Barinov, founder of Blockscout, Gnosis Chain, and zkBob, will oversee EF’s privacy strategy across multiple teams. Guzman, who joined PSE in 2022, will lead applied cryptography research and development, taking over from Sam Richards.
• Cluster Model: The "Privacy @ EF" cluster now organizes work across research, product, engineering, and operations, with leads in place to coordinate each dimension.
• Core Pillars of Privacy: EF’s privacy agenda centers on three building blocks: private reads( browsing, authenticating, and querying without surveillance), private writes (protecting payments, governance, and transfers from unwanted disclosure), and private proving (making proofs efficient and usable for identity, data portability, and client-side applications).
• Use Case Focus: EF emphasized that privacy must serve both individuals and institutions. Applications include shielding salaries, proving age, and protecting organizations from data leaks, while also ensuring compliance with global data protection standards.