Ethereum Founder Backs Tornado Cash Co-Founder Ahead of Trial

Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin has expressed his support for Roman Storm, the co-founder of Tornado Cash, ahead of Storm's upcoming trial. In a recent post, Buterin highlighted an interview with Storm, which was instrumental in shaping the 2019 FinCEN guidance. This guidance clarified that service providers of anonymization software are not subject to Money Transmitter Business License regulation, thereby reducing the perceived risk for developers in this space.

Buterin's endorsement comes at a time when the importance of privacy protection is increasingly recognized. Many business and government officials now regularly use privacy-focused tools like Signal, underscoring the growing acceptance of backdoor-free privacy solutions. Given the frequent breaches of centralized databases, enhancing privacy in areas such as payments, identity, and artificial intelligence is not just about balancing privacy and security, but about strengthening security itself.

Buterin hopes that the United States will lead the way in creating a world that is more secure, more free, and less prone to data breaches. He believes that the first step towards this goal is to send a clear signal to developers that their work in enhancing privacy is welcomed and supported. This message is particularly relevant as the trial of Roman Storm approaches, highlighting the need for legal and regulatory frameworks that support innovation in privacy technologies.