Crypto mixer Tornado Cash has came back towards the software development platform GitHub after several days to be banned online.
Ethereum developer Preston Van Loon required to Twitter on Thursday to report that GitHub has partially unbanned the Tornado Cash organization and contributors on their own platform. The developer recommended that Tornado Cash’s code repositories have reached read-only mode, meaning GitHub is yet to revive full functionality.
“But that’s progress from your outright ban. I still encourage GitHub to reverse all actions and return the repositories for their former status,” Van Loon mentioned.
Based on GitHub data, the most recent Tornado Cash repositories updates were made on August. 22, or soon after Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Semenov reported that his account was around the platform. On August. 8, the U . s . States Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) banned U . s . States residents by using Tornado Cash and blacklisted 44 USD Gold coin (USDC) and Ether (ETH) addresses connected using the mixer.
Tornado Cash’s go back to GitHub came right after the OFAC clarified its policies around Tornado Money on Sept. 13, insisting that U.S. residents wouldn’t be violating sanctions by copying the mixer’s code or which makes it available on the web. The OFAC also noted that U.S. persons wouldn’t be prohibited from going to the Tornado Cash website whether it again opens up online.
Hey @github, please unban @TornadoCash code repositories now.
OFAC has mentioned: “U.S. persons wouldn’t be prohibited by U.S. sanctions rules from copying outdoors-source code and which makes it on the internet for others to see”
— prestonvanloon.eth (@preston_vanloon) September 13, 2022
In line with the Ethereum blockchain, Tornado Funds are something allowing users to cover their crypto transactions to safeguard their anonymity by obfuscating information trails around the blockchain. The Ethereum mixer received scrutiny from global regulators following the OFAC’s ban, which triggered arrests of Tornado Cash developers for alleged participation in money washing with the platform.
Related: Tornado Cash created a void, time will inform what fills it — Chainalysis chief researcher
The continuing debate around Tornado Cash has elevated lots of questions within the cryptocurrency and developer community, with lots of people becoming worried about legalities linked to writing open-source code. Some major crypto companies also pressed back from the Treasury Department’s actions, with Coinbase exchange choosing to support a suit introduced by Tornado Cash users from the OFAC.
As formerly reported, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin openly claimed he used Tornado Cash to donate funds to Ukraine to safeguard the financial privacy from the recipients.
