Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has proposed developing a set of metrics to measure the alignment of projects with Ethereum’s values, according to Cointelegraph. In a blog post on September 28, Buterin said that achieving “Ethereum alignment” is an important social challenge in the ecosystem.

He noted that this is a difficult task due to the diversity of client teams, application developers, researchers, and local communities. Buterin stressed that it is crucial to ensure that all projects work together to build a unified Ethereum ecosystem.

He mentioned that open source and interoperability are the starting points for measuring projects, which helps code security checks and reduces the risk of proprietary lock-in. Applications and wallets can be rated based on compatible ERCs.

Decentralization and security can be measured through “walkaway” and “insider attack” tests. If the team and servers disappear, will the application still be available? If the team attempts to attack the system, how much damage can be done?

Projects can also be evaluated based on their positive impact on the Ethereum community or humanity, such as improving financial inclusion and enabling new public funding mechanisms. Buterin stressed that Ethereum must remain credibly neutral.

Ethereum community member Ryan Berckmans has stressed the importance of limiting marketing to Ethereum builders to avoid a politicized collaborative environment. Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson has also said that Ethereum may be too dependent on Buterin’s leadership.