Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin supports convicted developer and calls privacy ‘essential protection’

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has voiced his public support for Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm – who was convicted last August of transferring money – arguing that privacy-protecting software is a basic human right, and that Storm’s work should not be criminalized simply because it can be abused.

“I have supported Roman Storm’s work from the beginning, both as a strong believer in the importance of privacy and as an active user of privacy tools, including those developed by Roman,” Buterin wrote on X on Friday, sharing a letter of support he wrote for Storm.

“In the 21st century we all face risks from all corners of the world, both online and offline. If someone has information about you, they have the [ability to] exploit you – socially, commercially or even physically,” Buterin continued. “Being able to choose with whom we share information about our personal lives, our communications with friends and colleagues, our whereabouts and our finances, is an essential protection against this.”

Tornado Cash, a crypto mixer that helps obscure the path of transactions, was placed on the US Treasury sanctions list in 2022 after officials said it was used by North Korea’s Lazarus Group and other criminals to launder billions of dollars in stolen digital assets.

Tornado Cash was used to flush out the proceeds of major hacks, including the Ronin Bridge exploit worth $622 million and a $100 million theft from Harmony Bridge, with blockchain analytics company Elliptic treasure that more than $1.5 billion of illegal crypto flowed through the mix before sanctions followed. Approximately $7 billion in total assets passed through the platform.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control banned Americans from using the service, even though sanctions were in place cancelled in March 2025.

Storm was charged in 2023 with conspiracy to commit money laundering, conspiracy to violate sanctions and conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money transmission business. Last August, a Manhattan jury convicted him on the count of transferring money without a license, but stalled on the others.

A few weeks later, DOJ Criminal Division Chief Matthew Galeotti said: said software developers would no longer be convicted on the charges for which Storm was convicted.

Storm has not yet been convicted and has filed a request for acquittal, which prosecutors have opposed. He faces a prison sentence of up to five years.

Another Tornado Cash developer, Alexey Pertsev, also faced criminal charges. Dutch authorities arrested the Russian in 2022, and a court later found him guilty of laundering $1.2 billion in illegal assets through the mixer, sentencing him to more than five years in prison. Pertsev has since been released and is under house arrest while he appeals.

The Ethereum Foundation promised $1.25 million for Pertsev’s legal defense.

In the case of Storm, Buterin added that privacy is necessary for many parts of our society – including culture and politics – to function without falling into social games or outright coercion.

“Many have the implicit view that public privacy is fine, but governments, police and intelligence agencies certainly need to be able to see everyone’s information to ensure security,” he said.

Buterin said he strongly disagreed with this approach because government databases could be hacked and information could end up in the hands of foreign adversaries.

“Institutions routinely outsource their work to private companies, who sell the data behind everyone’s backs. Cell phone companies, which have everyone’s location data, often casually sell it to anyone who asks for it, often resulting in it ending up in the hands of hostile foreign governments,” he explained.

“Roman and I want to see a world in which the basic protection of our rights, which was an undisputed shortcoming in the last millennium, will remain with us in the next millennium,” he added. “And I support him for that.”