Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin is urging the adoption of open-source, verifiable infrastructure across key areas like healthcare, finance, and governance. He warned that relying on centralized systems could undermine public trust and increase the risks of abuse and monopolization.

In a blog post on Wednesday, Buterin argued that as digital tools and infrastructure become deeply woven into everyday life, society must choose between closed, opaque systems and open, verifiable ones. “The civilizations that gained the most from new waves of technology are not the ones who consumed the technology, but the ones who produced it,” he wrote, adding that “openness and verifiability can fight against global balkanization.”

Buterin said he envisions a future where verifiable technology underpins global systems. “By default, we will likely get digital computer things that are built and run by centralized corporations,” he warned. “But we can try to steer toward a better alternative.”

Why openness matters

He highlighted healthcare as an area where closed systems can limit access and increase surveillance risks. The COVID-19 vaccine rollout, he argued, showed how closed communication and manufacturing processes reduced public trust. He pointed instead to projects like PopVax, which use open processes to improve both transparency and affordability.

The same principle applies to finance. Buterin noted the stark contrast between the speed of cryptocurrency transactions and the inefficiency of traditional processes, recalling how signing a crypto transaction took him five seconds compared to the half-hour and high cost of sending a signed legal document overseas.

He also stressed the importance of building open, verifiable systems for voting, pointing out that decades of skepticism toward electronic voting machines prove that “black box” software cannot generate trust.

Privacy as a core principle

Buterin has long been a strong supporter of privacy. Earlier this year, he said privacy must be a central design goal, arguing that trust cannot simply rely on transparency or leadership goodwill. He has also presented a privacy roadmap for Ethereum, outlining short-term changes to strengthen user protection.

Sources:

https://cointelegraph.com/news/vitalik-open-source-infrastructure-health-finance-governance

https://vitalik.eth.limo/general/2025/09/24/openness_and_verifiability.html