- Vitalik Buterin supports Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm.
- Privacy is integral to blockchain security, says Buterin.
- Ethereum Foundation matches donations for Storm’s defense.
A co-founder of Ethereum, Vitalik Buterin has openly backed privacy rights in the cryptocurrency industry, lending his public support to Roman Storm, a Tornado Cash developer facing money laundering charges in the US. Storm faces money laundering and sanctions offenses that are attributed to the privacy-oriented crypto mixing service. The importance that Buterin stresses accorded to privacy tools in the context of blockchain technology revolves around the issue of the security of users of the technology.
Buterin’s Stance on Privacy and Security
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Buterin claims that security requires privacy and not a hindrance. He added that tools such as Tornado Cash keep the financial information of users, which is the foundation of decentralized finance. He has aided Storm in monetary terms, through a legal defense fund that has already raised more than $750,000 with donations from the Ethereum Foundation and Paradigm founder Matt Huang. The move by Buterin highlights his assertions that the prosecution of creators of privacy tools by developers is a menace to crypto innovation.
Storm will face charges of aiding Tornado Cash’s unlawful activities in a New York courtroom on July 14, 2025. The U.S. Treasury approved the service in 2022 and linked it to operations by groups like the North Korea-based Lazarus Group. However, a federal appeals court lifted these sanctions in March 2025, ruling that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) had overreached. This decision strengthens Storm’s defense and marks a defining moment for open-source software and privacy in the digital realm.
Buterin’s advocacy extends beyond Tornado Cash. He is a long-time advocate of privacy-enhancing technologies such as zero-knowledge proofs and encrypted messaging applications such as Signal. He remarked that the use of these tools is slowly spreading to the sphere of the activity of public agencies and companies, which is an indicator of a larger adoption of privacy-oriented solutions.
Broader Implications for Crypto and Privacy
The court struggle over Tornado Cash has raised a lot of controversy amongst the crypto-based community. Many see the prosecution of Storm as an assault on the right of developers to create open-source tools. The support by Buterin is an indication that innovation and privacy should be guarded in blockchain development. He posits that privacy guidelines are critical when it comes to the protection of user information during the period of increasing cybersecurity threats.
The Ethereum Foundation further emphasizes this message by matching the community donations to Storm defense. Such financial support, along with the publicly announced words of Buterin, makes the case a crucial test of decentralized finance. The positive decision would dictate the future of privacy tool regulation by governments and, possibly, affect the world policy on cryptocurrencies.
Buterin also promotes pluralistic digital identity systems, which would improve privacy and still provide security. He has criticized such centralized identity systems, such as Worldcoin, as jeopardizing the agency of users. Instead, he offers decentralized structures with the use of various sources of verification, including social networks and crypto wallets, to eliminate data monopolies and raise user control. This strategy is in line with his overall concept of a safe digital future.
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