Aztec Network has launched its Alpha Mainnet, marking the first Ethereum Layer 2 to offer fully private smart contract execution. This development follows unanimous community governance approval. Aztec's privacy features include confidential transactions, selective identity disclosure for compliance, and private computation, enhancing privacy-focused DeFi and gaming applications. Contracts are written in Noir, with privacy logic executed client-side, generating zero-knowledge proofs and settling on Ethereum every 12 seconds. Despite the launch, Aztec has warned of critical security vulnerabilities, with audits still in progress. Users are advised to deposit only funds they can afford to lose.