Ethereum’s upcoming Hegota network upgrade, scheduled for the second half of 2026, will feature the controversial Fork-Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists (FOCIL) proposal. As confirmed by Ethereum Foundation researcher Alex Stokes, this change would force validators to include all transactions. Proponents argue it is essential for censorship resistance at the protocol level, while critics warn it creates legal risks for validators compelled to process transactions from sanctioned addresses.
The Hegota upgrade will headline the Fork-Choice Enforced Inclusion Lists, or FOCIL, proposal. This change forces Ethereum validators to include every transaction submitted to the network.
Proponents say FOCIL guarantees censorship resistance directly at the protocol level. Ethereum Foundation researcher Jihoon Song stated that “as we keep scaling, the centralisation force towards sophisticated actors is increasing, and FOCIL prevents these actors from censoring transactions.”
Hegota is scheduled for the second half of 2026 and succeeds the planned Glamsterdam upgrade. FOCIL is the most controversial proposal earmarked for it and was previously debated and pushed back from inclusion in Glamsterdam.
Critics, like Privacy Pools founder Ameen Soleimani, argue the benefits are overstated. He contends it creates legal risks, especially for US-based validators who could face government action for processing sanctioned transactions.
After Tornado Cash was sanctioned, about 90% of validators declined its transactions. Soleimani argued that had validators been forced to include them by FOCIL, they could have faced government wrath.
However, many developers argue FOCIL brings more benefits than downsides. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said it will help boost privacy protocols when combined with another proposal called Frame Transactions.
Ethereum layer 2 developer Tim Clancy previously called FOCIL the “single most important [proposal] for Ethereum.” He wrote that “it delivers a capability that Ethereum must have to continue delivering on its mission of being the most neutral blockspace.”
