Recently, I noticed Vitalik discussing a very interesting topic. He believes that Ethereum’s current applications are actually being limited too narrowly, with most of them revolving around finance, but that’s far from enough.

The problems Vitalik points out are quite real—government surveillance, corporate data collection, cyber warfare, and the deterioration of social media ecosystems. These are all challenges the world faces. And Ethereum’s role in protecting personal freedom, privacy, and digital security is actually still very limited.

He proposed a bigger concept called “sanctuary technologies” (sanctuary technologies). Simply put, it is the use of open-source technology to build a digital ecosystem that can resist external pressure. In this ecosystem, people can communicate freely, collaborate, manage the risks of holding assets, and organize communities, without being constrained by traditional power structures.

This idea is quite deep. Vitalik means that Ethereum shouldn’t just be a financial tool, but should become part of this larger vision—truly empowering technological infrastructure for individuals. It makes me think that in the future, blockchain’s value may not lie in financial innovation itself, but in whether it can genuinely protect people’s freedom and privacy.