Previously, blockchain consulting company Labrys created the MEV Watch tool, which informs validators about which MEV bots are complying with OFAC sanctions.. As of November 21, 2022, the percentage of blocks being censored has peaked at 79%.. Such blocks exclude transactions involving parties blacklisted by the US Department of the Treasury. This is especially true for transactions where the service for mixing cryptocurrencies Tornado Cash is involved.
Until January 29, the share of censored blocks fluctuated in the range of 68-75%, then it began to decline steadily. This may be because more validators have started using MEV software that uncensors transactions, suggests Labrys CEO Lachlan Feeney.
The CEO is pleased with how the Ethereum community has responded to the problem of censorship, which has become acute after the network’s transition to the Proof-of-Stake (PoS) consensus algorithm. Feeney noted that the task began to be solved without the so-called user-activated soft fork (UASF, User Activated Soft Fork). Although many members of the Ethereum community called for activation even before the Ethereum merger.
“I am incredibly proud of the Ethereum users for the progress that has been made in solving the problem. When we released the MevWatch tool, the community did not hide its head in the sand, but rose to the occasion. However, there is still a lot of work to be done,” Feeney said.
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin also believes that Ethereum needs to be more resistant to censorship. In November, Buterin presented an updated roadmap with a Scourge milestone that will provide a move away from centralization.