Starknet Considers Leaving Ethereum for Anti-Censorship Targets

Starknet, one of the largest layer-2 networks built on Ethereum, is considering a move away from Ethereum as its data availability layer in order to pursue stronger anti-censorship guarantees.

The consideration reflects growing concern among layer-2 operators that Ethereum's roadmap may not provide the censorship resistance properties that decentralised networks require. Starknet's leadership has expressed a desire for the network to be able to guarantee transaction inclusion even under adversarial conditions.

Moving away from Ethereum would be a significant strategic shift. Starknet currently relies on Ethereum for data availability, and a move to an alternative layer or a standalone chain would require significant engineering work.

The debate touches on a fundamental question in the layer-2 ecosystem: whether the security guarantees of a layer-2 are sufficient if the underlying layer can censor transactions. Different projects have different answers, and Starknet's consideration reflects one end of that spectrum.

No decision has been made, and the discussion is ongoing within the Starknet community and its governing bodies.