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Author: daniel kuhn, coindesk; compile: five baht, Bit chain view world
The U.S. government has dispelled any doubts, that is,In addition to writing code for cryptocurrency mixtors, any behavior of participating in privacy or profit from it is prohibited.
Called it as an attack on privacy or an attack on freedom of speech, but the actual situation is,Any funds that are designed to mix funds to protect the user address will be regarded as money laundering funds, regardless of its purpose or destination.
Bitcoin Fog, Tornado Cash, is now Samourai wallet.
Samourai Wallet is a Bitcoin wallet (its server has been seized), promising to “keep the transaction privacy and cover up the identity” through privacy protection services called “Whirlpool”.
The authorities said the wallet dealt with illegal transactions of more than $ 2 billion, of which at least 100 million US dollars were carried out through illegal network markets such as Silk Road and Hydra Market.When Tornado Cash was sanctioned by the US Treasury, people also proposed similar arguments. The US Department of Finance basically regarded each US dollar that flowed through it as a crime.
US prosecutor Damian Williams said in a statement on Wednesday: “We will continue to investigate and destroy criminal organizations using cryptocurrencies with illegal behaviors of cryptocurrencies with our law enforcement partners.”
Operating safety
The co-founder of Samourai Wallet’s 35-year-old Keonne Rodriguez and 65-year-old William Lonergan Hill’s OP-SEC (that is, “operating safety”) have a lot of words to say.Rodriguez is arrested in Pennsylvania and will be tried this week, while the United States is still trying to extradite Hill from Portugal.
“I don’t know how they think they will not be arrested and prosecuted. It sounds directly evidence that the Ministry of Justice has direct evidence that they know they are helping people conceal illegal transactions and charge services.” Brian Frye, a professor of law at the University of Kentucky,express.
The US Department of Justice has accused Rodriguez and Hill actively recruit criminal customers in marketing and social media posts.For example, it is reported that Hill said in an interception internal message, “In Samourai, we fully focus on the resistance of the review system and the black/gray cycle economy. This means that there will be no predictable large -scale adoption.”
In the direct message, the venture capitalist Nic Carter said: “In the end, if you provide convenience for illegal financing and profit from it, as charged in the complaint, the prospect will be dim”Nevertheless, the Bayeng government tried to set privacy as a degree of crime.”
The government of Biden seems to have intensified the combination of hybrid services.These include the arrest of Russian Swedish in April 2021, Roman Sterlingovov, a Bitcoin fog operator, and the co -founder of the arrest of Tornado Cash in 2023.However, cryptocurrencies have long received the attention of criminal prosecutors for a long time.In Sterlingov’s case, investigators spent several years to collect evidence.
As early as May 2019, the US Ministry of Finance’s Financial Crime Law Enforcement Network (FINCEN) has been worried about the “tumbler” of cryptocurrencies, and found that “on the surface to protect the privacy of the transmitter’s privacy and transmit value.Service providers are not qualified to obtain overall exemption. “
in other words,The mixtor is a currency transmission. Even if a person usually transmits funds between the two addresses they controls to make their funds anonymous.FINCEN pointed out that if you are regarded as a capital transfer, you should abide by the Bank Confidential Law.
Tal Be’ry, co -founder and chief technology officer of Zengo Wallet, said: “My point is that the encryption industry should consider supervision as‘ irresistible ’and adjust.””The U.S. government stated very clearly that it was unacceptable to operate a mixed coin device to the Tornado Cash operator, so people are likely to hold other coins.”
Privacy network?
Others are worried that this is not just mixed services to become the goal, but all blockchain technology that protects privacy.
Galaxy Digital research director Alex Thorn pointed out:“From cases of TORNADO CASH to IRS’s” Brokers’ Rules “to the arrest of the founder of Samourai Wallet, the US government is obviously actively opposed to the privacy tools in the cryptocurrency field.”
It is worth noting that although Rodriguez and Hill have been actively supervising the agreement since launching more than ten years ago, the Samourai wallet is non -custody and open source.The code “self -custody” on the company’s open source GitLab repository, although the link provided seems no longer effective.Samourai applications have also been deleted from Google and Apple app stores, although the software can be constructed in theory, running and custody.
Some experts (including Frye) contacted by Coindesk believe that cryptocurrency mixtors can theoretically be legally encoded, but may not be able to market or maintain.In the United States, the release of software is usually protected by the first amendment because the code is a language.
“Although the cryptocurrency mixture may be legal in theory, if it is only used to protect the privacy of legal transactions, it is absolutely illegal to use them to hide illegal transactions,” Frye said.
“Obviously, if the developers continue to participate in the privacy instruments in addition to writing code -whether it is the front end of the operation, promotes any form of capital flow, or charges fees -they will become the goal. In order to make the privacy on the chain succeed in the future,The tool must be completely de -“” Thorn responses.
Otrick Dugan, the founder of Tradelayer, pointed out that it is also important to make a profit from the author of cryptocurrency hybrid code.According to the indictment, Samourai allegedly earned at least $ 4.5 million from its wallet and hybrid services.
Dugan said: “The case will eventually be attributed to any income mechanism that the developer may use. These mechanisms may constitute an operating company in the eyes of prosecutors, so that they are responsible for money laundering in the agent.” He mentioned that it is different from Tornado Cash.Samourai has no tokens.
Fight for privacy
Despite the severe political situation, many people in the cryptocurrency community believe that the attack on cryptocurrency mixtures is an infringement of basic human rights privacy.
“The government’s seizure of samurai and arresting their operators is disturbing. This feels more like a dictatorship rather than a free country. I think people have basic privacy in financial transactions, whether it is digital transactions or physical transactions.Cryptocurrency detective Ogle said in an interview.
“I am a loyal fan of privacy services, so I have no moral concerns about what is happening,” said a Bitcoin Lightning Developer that he asked to maintain anonymity in order to discuss the situation more frankly.”But it seems a bit stupid for them. If I understand the situation correctly, the two American citizens have not even concealed their traces well. Therefore, the arrest is not surprising.”
Others point out that although privacy services have received more and more attention, legal and criminal users have always existed in the demand for these agreements.
OGLE said: “Considering how easy it is to start or use another mixture, this does not solve the problem of illegal funds being washed away. It just pushes it to another service.” Dugan pointedCirculation is used for “those who seek purely with the privacy of cryptocurrencies”, although “this is not easy.”He added, “Use Monroe Coin, it has been removed almost all places, so you know it is legal.”
Zooko WilcoX, the founder of Privacy ZCash, pointed out:“Create privacy technology in the United States is legal, and we will continue to do so, because privacy and freedom are the core part of American civilization.”
