Nocturne, a privacy protocol in which Vitalik Buterin participated in the investment, has announced its decision to gradually shut down the company. The protocol, which was established last year, had already halted its operations four months ago. Despite the shutdown, the front-end of the platform will remain open for withdrawal services until the end of this month. The decision comes as a significant development in the crypto community, given the protocol's initial promise for enhancing privacy.