Vitalik Buterin Promotes ZK ‘Likes’ on Farcaster Amid X Privacy Changes

Vitalik Buterin, one of the co-founders of Ethereum, recently showed his backing for X engineer Haofei’s announcement on Farcaster, a decentralized social media site. Haofei unveiled that X will soon make “Likes” on the platform private. On May 20, Buterin took the discussion further by proposing that Farcaster integrate zero-knowledge (ZK) likes to address the issue of preference falsification, which is the act of misrepresenting one’s true preferences due to social pressure or fear.

ZK technology is a form of privacy-preserving cryptography that allows one party to prove to another that a statement is true without divulging any confidential information. When utilized for likes, it can confirm that someone has liked a post without revealing their identity. Buterin recommended leveraging ZK technology from Zupoll, a tool that is used in Zuzalu, a pop-up city concept Buterin was involved with, focusing on decentralization and cryptographic solutions. Zupoll is specifically utilized for anonymous voting and making collective decisions through polls.

Buterin’s proposal to incorporate ZK technology aligns well with the fundamental principles behind Farcaster, such as user privacy, resistance to censorship, user autonomy, and distinguishing itself from traditional centralized social media platforms.

Haofei addressed rumors regarding X’s potential move to make likes private by default. He confirmed that the platform would indeed be making this shift and provided the reasoning for it. According to Haofei, public likes often drive users toward undesirable behaviors. For instance, users might hesitate to like content considered controversial due to fear of trolling or damaging their public image. Haofei assured users that they would soon be able to like posts without being concerned about who might see their activity.

He further emphasized that liking more posts would mean the algorithm could better tailor content to individual users, ultimately enhancing their experience on the platform. The community’s reaction to this news was mixed. While some users suggested extending the privacy feature to include “follows,” others, including prominent accounts like Wall Street Silver, voiced contrasting opinions.

Beyond the realm of ZK cryptography, Buterin has also been exploring solutions to address miner extracted value (MEV) issues. MEV strategies allow validators to make profits by manipulating the sequence of transactions in a block, thereby capturing arbitrage opportunities that would otherwise be inaccessible. This practice often leads to network congestion, higher trader slippage requirements, and increased gas fees.

To mitigate the MEV problem, Buterin has proposed several strategies. These include MEV minimization quarantine techniques, using inclusion lists, and lowering the requirements to run a node. Each of these methods aims to reduce the negative impact of MEV on the network while ensuring fairness and efficiency within the system.

As the discussions around these innovations continue, it is clear that both Haofei and Buterin are pushing the boundaries of what is possible in the realms of decentralized technology and user privacy. Their efforts highlight the ongoing commitment to improving user experience and maintaining the integrity of these advanced platforms.

The community’s engagement and varying opinions further demonstrate the dynamic and ever-evolving nature of the decentralized tech space. As more ideas and solutions surface, the landscape of social media and blockchain technology will undoubtedly continue to transform, driven by the shared goal of enhancing user autonomy and privacy.