Ethereum Foundation publishes new mandate defining its role, core principles

The Ethereum Foundation (EF) published a 38-page "EF Mandate" outlining its philosophy, priorities, and long-term role in stewarding the Ethereum blockchain. The document frames Ethereum as a tool to protect individual freedom in a centralized digital world, centering its core purpose on self-sovereignty, where users have the final say over their digital lives. To preserve this, the foundation mandates that four properties—censorship resistance, open source/free, privacy, and security (collectively known as CROPS)—must remain indivisible priorities for Ethereum's development. The EF states it is the project's steward, not its owner or ruler, and its long-term success will be measured by how unnecessary it becomes; it will focus on long-term research and public-goods security until the ecosystem can take over. Ultimately, the mandate reiterates the goal of entrenching individual freedoms by ensuring Ethereum remains an open system that allows coordination without reliance on centralized authorities.

(Source：CoinDesk)