Ethereum Foundation Drops $500K on Tornado Cash Lawyer: Privacy is Normal, Code is Not a Crime!
The Ethereum Foundation has just donated a whopping $500,000 to Roman Storm, co-founder of Tornado Cash, to help fund his legal defense. And that’s not all – they’ve also pledged to match up to an additional $750,000 in community donations! 💸💰
In a post shared on Friday, the foundation affirmed its stance, writing, “Privacy is normal, and writing code is not a crime.” 🕵️♂️👨💻
Roman Storm is currently racing to raise $2 million to cover legal expenses for his trial scheduled to begin on July 14 in New York. He’s facing charges of conspiracy to commit money laundering and violating U.S. sanctions laws for his role in developing and operating the Tornado Cash protocol. The U.S. government alleges the protocol facilitated illicit transactions, including those linked to North Korea’s Lazarus Group. 😱💣
But Storm maintains that Tornado Cash was created as a tool to preserve financial privacy, not for criminal purposes. His legal defense has become a focal point within the crypto community, seen by many as a litmus test for the rights of open-source developers. ⚖️👨⚖️
The Ethereum Foundation’s donation signals growing institutional concern over legal actions targeting blockchain developers and privacy protocols. With the trial fast approaching, the foundation’s contribution and matching offer aim to galvanize broader support from the crypto ecosystem. 💪🚀
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2025-06-14 09:27