In an interesting turn of events, the co-founder of the cryptocurrency mixing service Tornado Cash, Roman Storm, who was arrested over money-laundering charges alongside other allegations, was released on bail shortly after being detained by the United States’ Department of Justice (DOJ). This announcement was made by Storm’s lawyer Brian Klein.
Over the past year, we have seen an uptick in prosecutory actions against cryptocurrency experts and developers such as this. And while the crime attributed to Storm is a serious matter, some are raising eyebrows at the stringent actions against software developers who aren’t operating the technologies they create. As expressed by Brian Klein who mentioned his disappointment in the charges against Storm merely because he helped to develop software, adding that the legal maneuver carries dangerous implications for all software developers.
A case study here is the Tornado Cash addresses added to the list of Specially Designated Nationals by the U.S. Treasury Department a year ago. This led to the arrest of another Tornado Cash developer in the Netherlands, who endured nine months of jail time.
Yet, as the rug is being pulled from under developers, the controversy lies in whether regulations are hitting the wrong targets. The charges on a legal and practical ground seemingly blur the lines. Some may argue that such developers are merely providing technological tools and platforms, not controlling or benefiting from illicit activities that are performed on these platforms independently.
However, the U.S. authority seems consistent in its agenda, pressing on with charges of laundering over $1 billion in “criminal proceeds” and alleged “conspiracy to commit sanctions violations” as well as “conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business.”
Lingering in the crux of this issue is a larger dialogue about blockchain regulation and the role developers play in this fortune. This draws out fundamental questions about responsibility and control within the vast digital frontier of blockchain. The software in question, Tornado Cash, was designed to increase transaction privacy on the Ethereum blockchain – a generally legitimate pursuit, in the name of decentralization and financial privacy. Whilst this story continues to unfold, it demonstrated that the future of blockchain regulation is navigating uncertain waters, testing the thin ice of developer responsibility.
Source: Cointelegraph
