Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about Ethereum's Hegota upgrade. This upgrade coming in the second half of 2026 is actually a major change, especially when it comes to censorship resistance. At its core is EIP-7805, which is called FOCIL, or Fork-Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists.

Look, currently most transactions on Ethereum are handled by just a few large block builders. This is efficient, but this concentration of power has become a problem. If a builder chooses not to include a transaction—whether for regulatory reasons or other reasons—that transaction can face significant delays. This is where 7805 becomes important.

FOCIL's approach is quite different. In every slot—(which lasts 12 seconds)—the protocol will select multiple actors—up to 17—who will add transactions to a list. If a proposed block ignores these lists, the network will essentially consider that block invalid. In other words, inclusion is no longer just a social expectation but a hardware-level guarantee.

Vitalik has mentioned that this mechanism alone doesn't work. Combining EIP-7805 with EIP-8141 makes native account abstraction, privacy protocol support, and gas sponsorship possible. That means transactions involving privacy tools will now be confirmed in 12-24 seconds, whereas before they experienced significant delays.

But this also sparks controversy. Supporters argue that Ethereum should remain neutral like the internet's basic protocols to function as a global settlement layer. However, critics are concerned that this could put validators at legal risk. If a US-based validator is forced to include transactions from sanctioned addresses, they could face regulatory scrutiny.

The debate around Tornado Cash is also related to this. Currently, some validators voluntarily censor transactions related to it, but after FOCIL, this will become technically impossible. This creates a real tension—between censorship resistance and regulatory compliance.

For ordinary users? If you use privacy tools or work with a DeFi protocol that was previously delayed, your transactions will now confirm faster. Predictability will also improve—if you pay the network gas fee, your transaction will guaranteedly find space on the chain. The network will also become more robust because there will be fewer single points of failure.

As 2026 approaches, the Ethereum community is watching this balance—between technical robustness and the evolving global regulatory landscape. The Hegota upgrade is part of Ethereum's long-term vision, and it shows how seriously the network takes its cypherpunk roots.