Buterin Claims Ethereum Does Not Censor Anything Despite Evidence To The Contrary

Ethereum (ETH) co-founder Vitalik Buterin recently lauded the ecosystem and its commitment to free speech. Nonetheless, his claim encountered criticism on social media, particularly regarding how Ethereum may not in fact be open to criticism. Some have gone as far as to say that Ethereum silences dissenting opinions about its protocol or ecosystem.

More Than Meets The Eye

Vitalik Buterin stated that he is immensely proud of the fact that Ethereum does not have any culture of trying to prevent people when it comes to speaking their minds, even when they have very negative feelings toward major things in the protocol or ecosystem. However, as alluded to earlier, his comment, hinting at censorship on other blockchain platforms, was met with pushback. Some social media users reported experiencing censorship by Ethereum influencers and even called Vitalik ignorant and tone deaf.

An X user, using the pseudonym dubzy, reportedly said that after telling someone that ETH fees were expensive and needed to be addressed, he was met with abuse for 13 minutes before being completely shut down. Meanwhile, Matthew Gould, founder and CEO of blockchain firm Unstoppable Domains, stated he also experienced censorship and criticism for divergent opinions on the network.

Why It Matters

Constructive criticism is essential for technological advancement and industry progress, as experts frequently emphasize. In a surprising twist of events, Anatoly Yakovenko, co-founder of Solana, supported Buterin and his perspective, noting it as a widespread industry characteristic. Solana and Ethereum are fierce competitors, so many were shocked to see Yakovenko support Vitalik so openly.

Anatoly stated that he thinks this industry is amazing and that it is exceedingly unlikely that we will see the likes of Apple, Microsoft, and Google engineers all in one chat room constantly challenging each other and their design decisions.

Regardless, like any other initiative, Ethereum has both positive and negative aspects. It is praised for its robust blockchain technology, smart contract capabilities, and active developer community, making it a leader in decentralized applications (dApps). However, it faces criticism for high transaction fees and scalability issues.