Anika Begay
Tornado Cash privacy protocol developer Alexey Pertsev is actively trying to raise funds to continue his legal battle in the Netherlands. The convicted developer, sentenced to five years in prison, is looking to raise $750,000 to $1 million for a much-needed legal lifeline.
On August 10, Pertsev publicly asked for funds in a video on the social media platform X. It is an invitation for people to contribute Ether to the decentralized fundraiser Juicebox. According to his campaign team, Pertsev has fought vigorously for his freedom and the broader principles of privacy and open source development.
Pertsev’s legal problems
On May 14, a Dutch court found Tornado Cash engineer Pertsev guilty. According to Pertsev, the entire legal process was “expensive” and difficult. Now, he is asking anyone to donate so he can raise enough money to launch an appeal.
Image: DL News
Early reactions from the crypto community have been positive. A “Defend Alexey” crowdfunding campaign on Juicebox has already raised 15.35 Ethereum, more than $40,000. Another initiative by privacy researcher Ameen Soleimani, a limited-edition NFT collection, has been launched asking for support for Pertsev’s legal defense.
1/ Defending Alexey Pertsev
It’s been exactly 2 years since @alex_pertsevand has run out of funds to defend our right to privacy and publish the code. It’s time to stand up for Alexey and fight for what’s right. https://t.co/McVJHfXNXW
— Free Pertsev and Storm (@FreeAlexeyRoman) August 10, 2024
Tornado Cash: Community Support
These are fundraising efforts in addition to the crypto community’s previous support. Notably, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has donated over $100,000 to support Pertsev and his colleague Roman Storm, who is currently in prison in the United States.
Pertsev’s case has attracted a lot of attention from the blockchain community and privacy activists who fear that if others abused the code, the impacts would extend beyond this case to developers in general. Block’s Buchner says it’s wrong for a developer to be held both criminally and civilly liable simply because their open source software was used for certain wrongdoing.
Ether market cap currently at $323 billion. Chart: TradingView.com
Stricter regulatory control
Meanwhile, global regulators have begun cracking down on privacy protocols over the past year, citing allegations that terrorist organizations and rogue states like North Korea are using the technologies to hide illicit digital assets.
As a result, the U.S. government has filed complaints against several crypto-privacy service providers, including the co-founders of Samourai Wallet, for allegedly violating local laws.
Pertsev’s case has thus raised concerns about its crippling effect on open source development and the need to protect privacy. A ruling in his appeal could set an important precedent for the future of privacy-preserving technologies within the crypto space.
The fact that the crypto community has expressed overwhelming support for Pertsev’s legal defense speaks to his firm belief in the principles of privacy and protecting developers from liability for misuse of their code. All eyes will be on the Dutch court as the legal battle between the two continues, awaiting their ruling on this highly significant case.
Featured image from Rave Mobile Safety, chart from TradingView
