Ethereum Founder Vitalik Buterin Donates 100 ETH to Tornado Cash Defense
- Vitlik Butrin donts 100 ETH, vlud t $242,000, to support Tornado Cash dvloprs dfns fund.
- Judg Kthrin Fill rjcts Romn Storms dismissl rqust, llowing chrgs ginst him to procd.
- Dspit snctions, Tornado Cash dposits surgd to $1.9 billion in rly 2024, 50% incrs.
Ethrum foundr Vitlik Butrin hs rffirmd his support for th dvloprs of Tornado Cash by donting 100 Ethrum (ETH), worth pproximtly $242,000, to Romn Storms dfns fund. This contribution, md on Octobr 5, 2024, follows Butrins rlir dontion of ovr $100,000 in My, undrscoring his commitmnt to iding th Tornado Cash dvloprs mid ongoing lgl chllngs.
On-chin dt providd by SpotonChin rvld tht Butrin liquidtd lrg portion of his mm coin holdings, including ssts such s MOODENG, DEGEN, NEIRO, nd KOBASU. This swp rsultd in totl of 140.7 ETH. Of this, 100 ETH ws dirctd to th Fr Alxy & Romn cmpign, which is focusd on supporting Tornado Cash dvloprs Alxy Prtsv nd Romn Storm.
According to th Dfnd Romn Storm crowdsourcing pg, th cmpign hs ccumultd totl of 327 ETH from 148 diffrnt pymnts, with th currnt vlu of ths contributions rching pproximtly $785,000.
Upon rciving th dontion from Butrin, Romn Storm xprssd his grtitud, stting, I cnt dscrib how much it mns to m. Thnk you for your long-lsting support.
Storms Legal Battle Intensifies
In rcnt lgl dvlopmnt, on Sptmbr 26, 2024, Unitd Stts Judg Kthrin Fill rjctd Romn Storms motion to dismiss th chrgs ginst him. Judg Fill indictd tht th cs ginst Storm hd substntil grounds, noting, I cnnot simply ccpt Mr. Storms nrrtiv tht h is bing proscutd mrly for writing cod. This ruling llows th lgl procdings to continu, intnsifying th prssur on Storm.
Storm mintins his innocnc, mphsizing tht Tornado Cash is opn-sourc softwr ccssibl to nyon nd not dirctly controlld by its dvloprs. Howvr, potntil conviction on ll thr chrgs could rsult in mximum sntnc of 45 yrs in prison.
In rspons to ths lgl chllngs, th JusticDAO ws stblishd in Jun 2024 to ris funds for th Tornado Cash dvloprs. Th dcntrlizd group succssfully crowdsourcd ovr 654 ETH, trnslting to pproximtly $1.5 million t currnt mrkt prics.
Tornado Cash Deposits Surge Despite Sanctions
Th lgl bttl surrounding Tornado Cash xtnds byond courtroom procdings. In 2022, th Offic of Forign Assts Control (OFAC) imposd snctions on th pltform, ccusing it of fcilitting mony lundring ctivitis. Dspit this, rports indict tht dposits into Tornado Cash continud to surg in th first hlf of 2024. Dt suggsts dposits rchd pproximtly $1.9 billion 50% incrs comprd to th ntirty of 2023.
Although th snctions r dsignd to hindr Tornado Cash, thir ffctivnss hings on usrs routing funds through spcific cntrlizd xchngs with stringnt KYC (Know Your Customr) procdurs. Howvr, th psudonymous ntur of cryptocurrncy wllts llows for sy crtion, circumvnting ths controls to n xtnt.
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Read more: https://www.tronweekly.com/vitalik-donates-100-eth-to-tornado-cash-defense/
Text source: TronWeekly
