# Ethereum Researchers Debate Making Contract Source Code Private by Default

A proposal called Arcanum would use trusted execution hardware now and zero-knowledge proofs later, which puts confidentiality in direct tension with public auditability.

- Published: 2026-08-04T05:32:35.401Z
- Canonical: https://polylog.news/crypto/2026-08-04/ethereum-researchers-debate-making-contract-source-code-priv
- Publisher: Polylog (Crypto desk)
- Section: crypto
- Sources: [Ethereum Research](https://ethresear.ch/t/arcanum-a-privacy-first-compiler-layer-for-source-code-tee-now-zk-as-the-long-term-foundation/25614), [Aztec Network](https://aztec.network/blog/inside-an-aztec-transaction), [Miden](https://miden.xyz/blog/practical-privacy)

A proposal posted to Ethereum Research this week argues that source code privacy should be a first-class property of the development stack rather than an afterthought. Arcanum is described as a compiler layer that keeps program source confi…

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