A U.S. judge was set on fire as a "physical retaliation"! Vitalik Buterin calls for using zk voting to protect judicial personnel.

US judge Diane Goodstein's residence was set on fire, linked to her previous unfavorable ruling against Trump. Vitalik Buterin advocates for creating an anonymous judicial mechanism using zk-SNARKs to maintain "judicial independence." (Background: Vitalik emphasizes the importance of the Fusaka upgrade: PeerDAS reduces storage requirements by 90%, significantly lowering network restrictions.) (Supplementary background: Vitalik's latest long article warns of "monopoly on smartwatch personal data": Far more dangerous than Worldcoin, true freedom comes from open source verification.) In the wake of the violent incident of the US judge's "residence being set on fire," it traces back to the judge's previous unfavorable ruling against Trump. Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin publicly calls for ensuring the safety of judicial decision-makers and maintaining the independence of rulings through anonymous voting and identity concealment mechanisms. He advocates for using zero-knowledge proofs (ZKP) to ensure that the voting or decision-making process is verifiable without disclosing identities, adding a layer of protection for judicial and policy decision-makers in an era of rising violent retaliation. The anonymous mechanism protects judges. Recently, the news of US judge Diane Goodstein's residence being set on fire shocked American society and prompted Vitalik to reiterate a "more radical belief." He pointed out that physical retaliation is now "within reach, and may even come from foreign hostile forces," and thus publicly called out: The judge's duty is to interpret facts according to conscience, not to answer to mobsters. Under such real-world pressure, the once avant-garde concept of anonymous voting is gradually entering the Overton Window (political options acceptable to the public), becoming a policy option that can be discussed in the mainstream. If the model matures, he even believes that international organizations such as the United Nations General Assembly could also adopt secret voting to reduce coercion from violence. The higher the threat of violence, the more society's imagination about "whether decision-makers need to be seen" shakes, and the judicial system, whistleblower protection, and international conferences could all be the next experimental grounds. The zero-knowledge proof voting method that Vitalik exemplifies, ZKP, is a cryptographic proof method that completes verification without revealing any underlying data. Vitalik and the Ethereum Foundation believe this is the key to anonymous governance. Applications include: Anonymous voting: Voters prove "qualification and that they have voted" without exposing identity or ballot direction. Attribute verification: Governments or organizations can ascertain "over 18 and have residency" to complete participation review without needing to hold complete personal data. Truth challenge: Through a stakeable and verifiable mechanism, on-chain records can confirm the accuracy of information and link rewards and penalties. The Ethereum Foundation recently announced a privacy strategy, planning to integrate ZKP into the consensus layer, data availability layer, and application layer, making "confidential and verifiable" the default for on-chain governance. Beyond technology, the legal and ethical aspects remain thorny. Traditional justice emphasizes public hearings and scrutiny; if the anonymous system goes too far, society may fear losing accountability thresholds. Finding a balance between "protecting the safety of judicial personnel" and "maintaining transparency" still requires a long-term social discussion. Related reports: Vitalik responds to Ethereum staking withdrawal congestion: Delays are to safeguard blockchain security, user experience has room for improvement. Vitalik expresses disappointment in the development of "AI Agents": Emphasis should be placed on decentralization, open source, and user feedback. <US Judge Facing 'Physical Retaliation' Set Fire to Home! Vitalik Calls: Use zk Voting to Protect Judicial Personnel> This article was first published in BlockTempo, the most influential blockchain news media.