Ethereum Foundation researcher Thomas Thierry has proposed making the FOCIL mechanism (EIP-7805) a key component of the Hegota upgrade. This update aims to bolster the network’s resilience against censorship.
Thierry is part of the Robust Incentives Group. He notes that currently, the blockchain lacks protocol-level guarantees against transaction filtering.
How It Works
FOCIL (Fork Choice-enforced Inclusion Lists) allows validators to forcibly include operations in the distributed ledger. This limits the power of centralised block “builders” and relays, which can delay or ignore user operations.
The proposal addresses the centralisation issue in the builder market caused by the extraction of MEV. Researchers believe that censorship resistance should be ensured technically, rather than relying on the integrity of market participants.
Without FOCIL, the protocol remains vulnerable to mass blockages. Thierry noted that while dominant builders rarely censor transactions now, the situation could change instantly.
“Ethereum needs to be designed for decades of resilience. We must prevent censorship proactively, not reactively,” the developer emphasised.
Implementation Challenges
Implementing the mechanism will require additional technical solutions. The current version of FOCIL does not support transactions with BLOB and private MEV transfers.
Previously, the proposal was considered for the Glamsterdam hard fork but was postponed. The Hegota update is scheduled in the roadmap for 2026.
In January, amid low fees, activity on the Ethereum mainnet surpassed that of layer-two solutions.