The chief technology officer (CTO) of Ripple, David Schwartz, has clarified that the XRP Ledger Foundation (XRPLF) has no enforceable right to decide who can and can’t run a validator on the XRP Ledger. This clarification has sparked debates on decentralization within the crypto community.
Schwartz explained that the XRPLF does not have the authority to decide the validators on the XRP Ledger. Despite the foundation’s intention to become an important part of the XRP Ledger ecosystem, it does not have any enforcement power which could limit the choice of validators. He stated:
“The XRP Ledger Foundation has no enforceable right or enforcement power to decide who can and cannot run a validator on the XRP Ledger. It is the right and the responsibility of everyone that runs a validator and all those that use the XRP Ledger to decide who runs a validator.”
This statement led to debates across the crypto community about the level of decentralization on the XRP Ledger. This is likely due to XRP relying heavily on Ripple, the company, and its associated entities. The focus on decentralization is also due to its integral role in the digital asset’s adoption as a payment network.
