Tornado Cash Developer Indicted Despite Cooperation with Investigation

Key Points:

• Roman Storm, creator of Tornado Cash, indicted by US authorities despite year-long cooperation with investigation.
• Lawyer voices disappointment over potential implications for software devs.
• Tornado Cash, a blockchain tool ensuring private crypto transactions, draws attention for both its benefits and potential misuse.

Roman Storm, the mastermind behind the decentralized privacy tool Tornado Cash, has been indicted by US prosecutors, causing shockwaves through the software development community.

Brian Klein, Storm’s legal representative, expressed disappointment, revealing that Storm had been actively cooperating with the government’s investigation since the previous year and vehemently denying any involvement in criminal activities.

Klein stated, “It is extremely disappointing that prosecutors have chosen to indict Mr. Storm for assisting in the development of software, which has dangerous implications for all software developers.” This development has raised concerns about the potential chilling effect on innovation, particularly within the realm of privacy-focused and decentralized technologies.

Tornado Cash allows users to make cryptocurrency transactions anonymously, safeguarding their financial privacy. While the tool has legitimate use cases for protecting personal data, it has also drawn attention from regulatory authorities due to its potential for enabling illicit activities.

The indictment alleges that Storm’s creation facilitated money laundering and other unlawful transactions. However, Klein emphasized that Storm had proactively engaged with authorities, providing insights into the software’s functionality and its intended purpose.

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