The shift of Ethereum (ETH) to a Proof of Stake (PoS) architecture is still being scrutinized, with Lachlan Feeney, CEO of Labrys, citing concerns about censorship on the Ethereum network, pointing out that 45% of validators comply with US sanctions.
According to Lachan Feeney – CEO of Labrys, a blockchain development organization – around 45% of all Ethereum blocks now being verified use MEV-Boost relay flashbots and adhere to US-based sanctions.
According to Cointelegraph, Feeney stated in an interview that while reports have shown that 25% of all blocks verified since the Merge complies with US sanctions, which is an indicator, the current percentage is estimated to be closer to one out of every two blocks.
Feeney emphasized that MEV-Boost is a regulated corporation, mostly situated in the United States, that ensures transaction filtering, notably from Tornado Cash.
MEV-Boost relays are centralized systems designed to extract the most extractable value (MEV).
With the popularity of Flashbots, MEV-Boost relays assist validators in outsourcing block generation and selling the privilege to construct a block to the highest bidder.
Labrys has released an MEV Watch tool to alert validators on MEV-Boost relay compliance with Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions.
“The issue is that from the validator’s perspective, these guys are paying them to sort of do this.” Feeney told Cointelegraph. “So if you want to make more money, you just turn this feature on, and as a validator, you sort of boost your yield.”
