Whisk: returning privacy to Ethereum proposers
summary
Proposes Whisk, a single-secret leader election using a verifiable secret shuffle: validators commit C(K)=KG, shuffles multiply commitments by random scalars, and proposers prove KR = rG with zero-knowledge to reveal only at proposal time. A Lighthouse PoC runs on testnet with an Explorer; it hides proposer identities but means missed blocks leave proposer unknown. Costs: ~3 G1 points per validator, state doubles, and ~17KB per block before optimizations.
AI-written summary · about
chapters (12)
- 0:00Whisk and Ethereum liveness risks
- 1:53Proposer secrecy prevents liveness attacks
- 3:16Whisk protocol explained
- 5:03Bootstrapping problem and commitments
- 7:33Validator secrets privacy
- 9:43Whisk with PBS and fee recipients
- 11:49Whisk complexity and state size
- 13:38Alternative solutions and elections
- 14:41Network anonymity challenges
- 15:42Proof of concept status
- 16:24Future optimizations and quantum resistance
- 17:11Q&A
related talks
26mzk-SHARKs: Combining Succinct Verification and Public Coin Setup
31mTowards making private telemetry as ubiquitous as TLS
59mCommit-and-Prove Zero-Knowledge Proof Systems and Extensions
08mPrivacy and Security
32mSoK: Private Programmability on Blockchain Systems
01h 26mPanel Discussion: The Challenges and Best Practices of Deploying Zero-Knowledge Proofs
51mWhy you shouldn't trust me
31mSecure Aggregation with Lightweight Committees