Tornado Cash: “Anonymous Developer” on Trial – What Will Happen to the Freedom to Write Code?

On July 14, Roman Storm, one of the creators of #TornadoCash – an anonymous crypto trading tool – will officially stand trial in New York. Storm is charged with money laundering, violating sanctions, and operating an illegal money transfer service. If convicted, he could face up to 45 years in prison.

⚡ Tornado Cash was developed by Storm and colleagues since 2019, allowing users to mix cryptocurrencies to anonymize ownership. This tool has been accused of helping hacker groups, including North Korea's Lazarus group, launder over 1 billion USD in crypto. The U.S. previously banned Tornado Cash, viewing it as a “national security threat.”

💬 However, the crypto community argues that Storm merely wrote and published the source code, which should be protected as free speech. Vitalik Buterin (Ethereum) warns: “If this precedent is lost, every software developer could be prosecuted just because their code is exploited by bad actors.”

🏛️ The U.S. government argues that Storm not only wrote code but also operated and profited from the TORN token. The defense emphasizes that Storm does not control user funds, only manages the interface.

If Storm is convicted, many fear this will set a dangerous precedent for DeFi and the freedom to develop software. Storm stated: “If I lose, DeFi will die with me.”

🔥 The Tornado Cash trial will be a historical test: Limitations on the freedom to write code or protecting privacy in the crypto world? #anhbacong