According to Blockworks, the Ethereum Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting the Ethereum ecosystem, removed the warrant canary from its website on February 26. The removal indicates that the foundation has received a government subpoena. Ethereum web developer Pablo Pettinari wrote, "[W]e have received a voluntary enquiry from a state authority that included a requirement for confidentiality," alongside a code commit removing the canary. The Ethereum Foundation is responsible for handling grants and providing research for the Ethereum ecosystem, but it does not control or lead Ethereum. Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin serves on its executive board.
In 2019, the Ethereum Foundation mistakenly removed its warrant canary, but this time it appears to be a genuine removal. The price of ether (ETH) fell more than 2% immediately after the news broke, contributing to a bearish week for the token. Some industry watchers believe that the Ethereum Foundation's "voluntary enquiry" may not be a significant issue. Mike Selig, partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, said, "It's extremely common for crypto protocol foundations to receive voluntary requests for information from federal and state regulators. And subpoenas are about as sure as the sunrise for a crypto entity." The Ethereum Foundation has not yet responded to a request for comment.
