Ethereum Foundation Forms Advisory Group To Uphold Core Values

According to Cointelegraph, the Ethereum Foundation (EF), a nonprofit organization supporting the Ethereum ecosystem, has announced the establishment of an external advisory group aimed at preserving the blockchain network's fundamental principles. On February 28, the foundation introduced the "Silviculture Society," a group of individuals from outside the EF, tasked with providing informal guidance to the foundation and nurturing the "forests in the infinite garden of Ethereum." This initiative underscores the EF's commitment to maintaining Ethereum's core values of open source, privacy, security, and censorship resistance. The foundation emphasized that the network's success hinges on dedicated developers who prioritize these values in their work. The EF identified 15 individuals, including researchers, developers, and project founders, as members of this advisory council. The formation of this advisory group comes in the wake of Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin's recent critique of the crypto industry's moral shift towards gambling. On February 20, Buterin expressed his frustrations with the industry's direction over the past year, particularly the criticism Ethereum faced for not embracing blockchain-based casinos. He noted that Ethereum was being labeled as "bad and intolerant" for not respecting these "casinos," while other blockchain networks were praised for doing so. Buterin stated that if the community were to abandon its core values, he would lose interest in participating in the space. However, he found reassurance in offline interactions with community members, which affirmed that the space's values remain intact. In line with its commitment to open source values, the Ethereum Foundation recently pledged $1.25 million to support the legal defense of Tornado Cash developer Alexey Pertsev. On February 26, the EF announced this donation, emphasizing that privacy is a fundamental right and that writing code should not be criminalized. Pertsev expressed gratitude for the significant contribution, stating that it greatly aids his preparation for an appeal and "means the world" to him.