Ethereum Devs Lock in Controversial Censorship-Resistant FOCIL for Hegota Upgrade

As the late-2026 Hegota upgrade approaches, proponents claim FOCIL strengthens protocol-level censorship resistance, while critics warn of new regulatory risks.

Rich by Coin

2026-02-20

FOCIL will headline Ethereum’s Hegota upgrade. The Hegota upgrade, named by blending the Bogotá Devcon venue and Heze, a star, is scheduled for the second half of 2026. FOCIL introduces changes that force Ethereum validators to include each and every transaction submitted to the network — even those sent by Office of Foreign Assets Control-sanctioned addresses. Proponents say FOCIL is necessary because it guarantees censorship resistance at the protocol level, rather than relying on the decisions of those who build blocks and run validators.

As we keep scaling, the centralisation force towards sophisticated actors is increasing, and FOCIL prevents these actors from censoring transactions. Ensuring that Ethereum is resistant to censorship, and cannot be controlled by outside forces, is incredibly important to its supporters. It is one of the blockchain’s most fundamental and defining features, and legitimises it as a decentralised, permissionless settlement layer.

Jihoon Song, an Ethereum Foundation researcher, said, “As we keep scaling, the centralisation force towards sophisticated actors is increasing, and FOCIL prevents these actors from censoring transactions.” In response to FOCIL’s inclusion in Hegota, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said it will help boost privacy protocols in combination with Frame Transactions. Tim Clancy previously called FOCIL the “single most important proposal for Ethereum.” It delivers a capability that Ethereum must have to continue delivering on its mission of being the most neutral blockspace.

Of all the proposals earmarked for Hegota, FOCIL is the most controversial. Privacy Pools founder Ameen Soleimani has argued that the benefits of FOCIL are overstated, and it creates legal risks for US-based validators. When Tornado Cash was placed on the OFAC sanctions list, some 90% of validators declined to include transactions that touched smart contracts linked to the privacy protocol, he said. Had US validators been forced to include those transactions, they could have faced the wrath of the US government, Soleimani argued.