TL;DR
- GoFundMe cancels fundraising campaign for Tornado Cash co-founders due to alleged violation of terms of service, citing potential damages or liabilities.
- Despite the cancellation, the campaign managed to raise $30,000 before being shut down, and fundraising efforts have been moved to the cryptocurrency funding platform JuiceBox.
- The founders face multiple federal charges in the U.S., including conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The crowdfunding platform GoFundMe has decided to cancel a fundraising campaign aimed at Roman Storm and Alexey Pertsev, co-founders of Tornado Cash, who are facing legal charges in the United States. The cancellation comes after GoFundMe cited a violation of its terms of service, specifically related to exposure to potential damages or liabilities.
The fundraising campaign was initiated by Roman Storm on January 22, through a video in which he sought financial support to defend against charges brought by U.S. authorities. However, the GoFundMe platform decided to end the campaign on February 14, issuing refunds to contributors, including Ryan Adams of Bankless Ventures, who chose to redirect his $10,000 donation back to Storm via cryptocurrency.
Despite the cancellation, the campaign managed to raise $30,000 before being closed. Fundraising efforts have now been moved to JuiceBox, a cryptocurrency funding platform, where 316.75 Ether has been accumulated so far.
The money we sent to @rstormsf was cancelled by @gofundme – they shut it down.
I thought this might happen but am still surprised.
Good thing we have an uncensorable money system so we can still fund civil liberties like the right to a fair trial.
Resending $10k with crypto. https://t.co/5Ud4ELiaK5 pic.twitter.com/glRXwtXPBw
— RYAN SΞAN ADAMS – rsa.eth (@RyanSAdams) February 15, 2024
Questions Arise Regarding GoFundMe’s Lack of Consistency in Policy Enforcement
GoFundMe’s decision to cancel the campaign has sparked discussions within the Tornado Cash community, as some members have compared this situation to similar campaigns allowed in the past by the platform. This has led to questioning the consistency in the platform’s policy enforcement.
On the other hand, the founders of Tornado Cash face multiple federal charges in the United States. Including conspiracy to commit money laundering, sanctions violations, and operating an unlicensed money transmission business. Despite the accusations, Roman Storm maintains his innocence and has been released on $2 million bail. Albeit with travel restrictions within certain U.S. states.
Edward Snowden Stands in Support of Tornado Cash and Its Founders
The case has received additional attention after Edward Snowden, known for his role as an NSA whistleblower. Expressed his support for Storm. Highlighting the importance of privacy and justice in legal defense. This endorsement has brought further attention to the case. Given Snowden’s track record as a privacy rights advocate.
Recent reports have also shed light on Tornado Cash’s involvement in laundering over half a billion dollars in 2023. Despite U.S. sanctions imposed in 2022. These sanctions aimed to limit the mixer’s operations. Which has been linked to the Lazarus group, affiliated with North Korea, among others. As a result of these measures. Tornado Cash has experienced an 85% reduction in transaction volume, according to an October 2023 report.
