🚨 VITALIK BUTERIN, ROMAN STORM & TORNADO CASH 🚨 PRIVACY VS PROSECUTION: A DEFINNING CRYPTO MOMENT 🚨
🧠 WHY THIS MATTERS?
Vitalik Buterin has publicly doubled down on his support for Roman Storm, lead developer of Tornado Cash, ahead of Storm’s U.S. sentencing.
His message is unmistakable:
🔐 Privacy tools are safeguards — not crimes.
🛡️ VITALIK’S POSITION
In a public letter, Buterin argued that open-source privacy software is essential in an era of mass digital surveillance.
He even confirmed personal use of Tornado Cash for:
💸 Private donations
💻 Anonymous software purchases
🌍 Human-rights support
Privacy is not suspicious. It’s protection.
⚖️ THE LEGAL REALITY
Storm was convicted in August 2025 on a limited charge related to operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business.
⚠️ Jury deadlocked on money-laundering and sanctions charges
⛓️ Faces up to 5 years in prison
✅ Judge denied pre-sentencing detention, citing compliance and low flight risk
🌐 INDUSTRY RALLIES
The case has sparked alarm across crypto and open-source communities.
🤝 Legal-defense support backed by the Ethereum Foundation
🧩 Growing concern over developer liability for decentralized code
Even U.S. DOJ officials have hinted that truly decentralized software may reduce developer liability — but nothing is settled.
🚦 THE BIG QUESTION
📌 Storm’s sentencing could define the future of:
Zero-knowledge privacy tech
Open-source development
Financial privacy in crypto
🔥 If developers are punished for how others use their code…
Who will dare to build next?
