Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson emphasized the fundamental purpose behind the network’s privacy-focused sidechain Midnight.
In a recent commentary, Hoskinson responded to claims that the European Union aims to end online anonymity.
Specifically, his comments came in response to a viral post by political commentator and Freedom Train International founder Jim Ferguson, who criticized Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s remarks at the 2025 World Economic Forum (WEF).
As a result, Ferguson warned, a “digital surveillance grid” could be created in which every online action is linked to a person’s identity.
Why does midnight exist?
Interestingly, Hoskinson positions Midnight as a direct countermeasure to potential threats to traceability. In particular, Midnight is a privacy-focused sidechain on the Cardano blockchain. It aims to enable people to operate online while maintaining control over their personal information and identity.
Through Midnight, users can trade privately, maintain selective disclosure, and comply with regulators only when necessary. Hoskinson positions Midnight as Cardano’s response to growing concerns that governments will mandate identity verification, biometric tracking, and comprehensive monitoring of all online activity.
He warned users to “keep the vampires out” and encouraged them to embrace Midnight as a way to protect their privacy and prevent unauthorized access by institutions and other parties.
This is why Midnight exists. Don’t put vampires in https://t.co/7yvYth2exO
— Charles Hoskinson (@IOHK_Charles) November 13, 2025
Future release schedule
Since its introduction in November 2022, Midnight has gone through various stages of development, including DevNet and token distribution.
The first phase of Midnight (NIGHT) token distribution, called Glacier Drop, took place in August. During the event, eligible beneficiaries across eight blockchains including Cardano, Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP Ledger were allowed to claim a share of the N24 billion supply.
The second phase, known as Scavenger Mine, is currently underway and will allow users to earn unclaimed tokens from Glacier Drop by completing computational tasks.
Cryptocurrency enthusiasts are currently looking forward to the Midnight Summit scheduled for November 17th to 19th, with many expecting the team to reveal the final roadmap for the project’s mainnet launch. There is also optimism that privacy sidechains could be launched later this year.
