Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum, publicly supported Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm and defended privacy tools in the crypto space. Buterin said that privacy is not just an additional option, but a key element of security, especially against the background of increased regulation.
Why is Buterin so active in protecting privacy?
In his speeches, Buterin emphasizes that privacy should not be sacrificed for the sake of imaginary "security." He claims:
"Improving privacy in payments, identification, artificial intelligence and other areas is not a matter of balancing privacy and security. It's part of security itself."
Now, as Storm prepares for trial, his case has become a symbol of the struggle for the right to anonymity on the blockchain. And Buterin's support here is not limited to words — the Ethereum Foundation and the community have already raised more than $750,000 for the developer's legal defense.
Financial support and market reaction
Interestingly, back in 2019, FinCEN (the US financial regulator) stated that the creators of anonymity tools were not subject to the rules for money transfer operators. This has set an important precedent, which is now being discussed in the context of Tornado Cash.
Meanwhile, Ethereum itself is showing growth:
ETH Price: $2,478.93
Market capitalization: $299.25 billion
Growth in 60 days: +36.95%
Despite a slight drop (-3.66% per day), interest in Ethereum remains high, especially against the background of regulatory events.
Is privacy the norm?
Today, even businesses and governments are actively using tools like Signal, and the idea of privacy without backdoors is gaining momentum. Buterin calls for support for developers who are working on data protection, because this is not a threat, but a necessity.
Do you think tools like Tornado Cash should remain legal, or are regulators right to restrict them?
