Ethereum developers have introduced Kohaku, a fresh roadmap that seeks to enhance wallet privacy and security via a modular framework tailored for developers and advanced users.
The initiative, revealed in a blog post on Thursday by Ethereum Foundation coordinator Nicolas Consigny, details plans to create a set of privacy and security elements for the Ethereum ecosystem.
At its essence, Kohaku intends to develop a software development kit (SDK) for constructing secure wallet functions, along with a reference wallet that illustrates the practical application of these tools. The initial version will be released as a browser extension based on the Ambire wallet, designed for advanced users seeking enhanced control and privacy.
Kohaku is being crafted in partnership with well-regarded teams from the Ethereum ecosystem, including Ambire, Railgun, DeFi Wonderland, Helios, and Oblivious Labs. The project is open source, inviting developers to contribute through its GitHub repositories.
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Kohaku strives to reduce wallets’ reliance on centralized services
The main objective of Kohaku is to lessen wallets’ dependence on centralized services capable of tracking transactions. The project will incorporate features like private sending and receiving, concealing IP addresses, dedicated accounts for each DApp, and P2P transaction broadcasting that avoids standard remote procedure call (RPC) servers.
It also intends to implement social recovery options utilizing tools like ZK Email or Anon Aadhaar, making it simpler to regain access without sacrificing privacy. ZK Email employs zero-knowledge proofs for anonymous email verification, while Anon Aadhaar allows users to affirm their identity in a privacy-preserving manner.
In the long-term vision, the team aspires to bring wallet security even closer to the device level, which they refer to as “as close as possible to the silicon.” This entails developing a native Ethereum browser where users can securely engage with DApps, IPFS content, and decentralized networks without risking data leaks.
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Ethereum Foundation launches “Privacy Cluster”
On Wednesday, the Ethereum Foundation initiated a new effort named the Privacy Cluster, uniting 47 top researchers, engineers, and cryptographers to enhance privacy features at the protocol level of the Ethereum network.
The group will collaborate with the Privacy and Scaling Explorations (PSE) team to implement tools such as private payments, confidential identity systems, and zero-knowledge frameworks aimed at safeguarding user data directly on Ethereum’s layer-1 blockchain.
The Privacy Cluster encompasses multiple initiatives from the Ethereum Foundation and PSE, with Kohaku being one of them. Other significant projects include Private Reads & Writes, Private Proving, Private Identities, and more.
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