Vitalik Buterin’s Stand for Tornado Cash: Chaos and Code!

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Vitalik Buterin, not known for his lack of spunk (unless, of course, it’s about dieting choices), is once again on a crusade. This time, his knightly efforts are in favor of Roman Storm, the lead developer of Tornado Cash. Yep, despite Storm being a bit in a pickle with the law, Vitalik’s there cheering him on like it’s the World Cup.

Why does the brave Vitalik back a somewhat embattled Storm as he awaits sentencing for an alleged “unlicensed money transmitting business”? He sees these privacy tools as shields, not weapons! 🛡️ His take is that developers must not suffer for the questionable uses others might find.

“Done. Re-posting the contents for public musing,” he stated, attaching a lengthy missive of support to the letter…

Oh, stormy weather, august Roman of Tornado Cash! Convicted in 2025, facing up to five years in the chair (conspicuously challenging for co-founder kind), and fines bigger than some people’s monthly rent. But the jury couldn’t quite make up their mind on all charges, leading Lady Justice Failla to give a somewhat comforting sigh by not detaining him pre-sentencing.

Tornado Cash, a playground for privacy buffs invented by Storm and his pals Alexey and Roman R., uses intricate math tricks (zero-knowledge proofs, for the nerds) to help keep sender and receiver identities separate on the blockchain. Endorsed by Uncle Sam’s treasury in 2022, only then it was described as an accomplice to cybercriminals, including those actors from the north…

Yet, Buterin’s public letter, chock-full of love for privacy, championed these tools as essential for protecting us from the ever-prying eyes of big tech and nosy governments. He mentioned buying software anonymously and supporting human rights organizations through Tornado Cash as valid reasons to adore such technology.

“They say writing code is a crime. They assert privacy tools are as shady as money laundering. But here’s a secret: Privacy is a right, and math isn’t a felony. Our freedom… this battle is at a crossroads. Your support is crucial…” – Roman Storm 🇺🇸 🌪️ (@rstormsf) January 9, 2026

The court of industry opinion is also leaning in. The Ethereum Foundation and Keyring Network are cutting a cheque for Storm and Pertsev’s legal defenses – nothing less than $500,000! This generous gesture sets the stage for a thrilling yet distressing saga: How much can the hammer of the law crack down on privacy dev tools?

The winds of change might be blowing in the regulatory realm too. Mr. Galeotti from the DOJ cheekily suggested that decentralized tools might lower the heat on developers, sparking a bit of guarded excitement online. But let’s see how the magistrate’s gavel will fall upon Storm’s fate – it will tell us much about the future of privacy under Uncle Sam’s watchful eye. For now, all eyes are on the sentencing – will it be a wake-up call or just another rainy day?

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2026-01-09 13:33