The Privacy Pillar Blockchains have scaled. They’ve secured. But privacy? Still missing. Everyday users need it to protect freedoms. Institutions need it to operate safely. Without it, onchain life stalls out before it can scale. That’s why the ETH Foundation just threw their weight behind RAILGUN👇 ~~ Analysis by @wmpeaster ~~ ✨ The RAILGUN Connection This year, I’ve made it a point to spotlight onchain privacy projects — as seen with my @0xbowio, @fluidkey, and posts. That’s also why the @ethereumfndn (EF) is leaning into its new Defipunk treasury policy to support open-source, privacy-preserving tools. Against that backdrop, the EF’s move to stake 50k $RAIL and become a @RAILGUN_Project stakeholder stood out. This is one of the EF’s first Defipunk moves — and a clear signal that RAILGUN is a serious privacy tool worth attention. Let’s break it down. 👇 🔀 How RAILGUN Works RAILGUN uses zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs) and is live on Ethereum, Arbitrum, Polygon, and BNB Chain. There’s no bridging or extra networks. You use your usual blockspace, but privately, by shielding assets to a private balance — a 0zk address. From there, you can transfer, swap, LP, farm, lend — basically anything — while ZKPs hide the sender, receiver, asset, and amount. Your public wallet never shows. Outsiders only see a broadcaster submitting a hash. And more users = more privacy. Every action strengthens RAILGUN’s ZKP smokescreen, so even low activity compounds into stronger anonymity. 🔰 How to Start 1. Create a Wallet — RAILGUN has no official frontend, but Railway is the go-to. Install, create your wallet (you’ll get both a 0x and 0zk address), and save your seed phrase. 2. Shield Assets — Fund your 0x wallet, click a token in Railway (ETH, WETH, stables, NFTs), press “Shield,” select your 0zk address, enter amount, confirm. After a one-hour standby, your shielded balance appears. 3. Use Private DeFi — With shielded funds, explore DeFi privately. Use the Wallets tab for private payments. In the dApps tab, try integrations like Beefy (for LP/farming) or Railway DEX (built on the 0x API like Matcha). 4. Unshield When Ready — To unshield, select your shielded token, hit “Unshield,” enter your 0x address, confirm amount, generate proof, and finalize. Funds appear in your public wallet. That’s it. Simple! For more, check out the RAILGUN and Railway docs. All in all, this protocol is a strong start for the EF’s Defipunk push. If swaps, payroll, and farming shift behind ZKPs, and usage hits escape velocity, “public-by-default” DeFi might finally fade away. That’s a future worth fighting for. And RAILGUN’s on the case.