GitHub restores access to Tornado Cash source code

The crypto mixer’s code repositories are available in read-only mode

23.09.2022 - 11:40

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2 min

What’s new? Ethereum developer Preston Van Loon has reported that GitHub, an IT project hosting and collaborative development service, has restored access to the source code of crypto mixer Tornado Cash on its website. Tornado Cash’s code repositories are now in read-only mode, meaning that GitHub has not yet restored full functionality. According to Van Loon, “that is progress from an outright ban.” The developer also called on GitHub “to reverse all actions and return the repositories to their former status.”

.@github has unbanned the @TornadoCash organization and contributors on their platform! https://t.co/ktdghDQKx8 https://t.co/Md17vFE9DZ— prestonvanloon.eth (@preston_vanloon) September 22, 2022

What happened before? On August 8, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions against Tornado Cash and blacklisted Ethereum and USDC addresses associated with the mixer.

On September 13, the regulator clarified that US residents would not violate sanctions if they copied the mixer’s code or made it available online. The agency also noted that US residents would not be prohibited from visiting the Tornado Cash website if it again becomes available online.

Hey @github, please unban @TornadoCash code repositories now.OFAC has stated: "U.S. persons would not be prohibited by U.S. sanctions regulations from copying the open-source code and making it available online for others to view"— prestonvanloon.eth (@preston_vanloon) September 13, 2022

However, Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury Department Elizabeth Rosenberg later said that sanctions on cryptocurrency mixers would prevent money laundering from entities in Russia, Iran, and the DPRK. She added that technologies that increase anonymity, such as mixers, do pose a concern to understanding the flow of illicit finance and combating it.

To find out what awaits DeFi projects after sanctions against Tornado Cash, see GetBlock Magazine’s article.

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