GitHub unbans Tornado Cash repository following OFAC guidance

Cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash is back on the software development platform GitHub after weeks of being banned from its website.

Ethereum developer Preston Van Loon tweeted on Thursday report Its GitHub has partially unbanned the Tornado Cash organization and contributors on the platform. The developer suggested that Tornado Cash’s code repository is currently in read-only mode. This means GitHub has not yet restored full functionality.

“But it’s a step forward from an outright ban. We still encourage GitHub to undo all actions and return the repository to its previous state,” said Van Loon.

According to GitHub data, the latest update to the Tornado Cash repository was on August 22nd, or shortly after Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Semenov reported that his account was on the platform.August 8 , the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has banned the use of Tornado Cash by U.S. residents and blacklisted 44 USD Coin (USDC) and Ether (ETH) addresses associated with the mixer.

Tornado Cash’s return to GitHub was announced on Sept. 13 by OFAC’s clarification of policies regarding Tornado Cash, ensuring that US residents do not violate sanctions by copying Mixer’s code or making it available online. This was done immediately after the announcement was made. OFAC also noted that it would not ban Americans from accessing the Tornado Cash website should it become available online again.

Based on the Ethereum blockchain, Tornado Cash is a tool that allows users to hide their crypto transactions and protect their anonymity by obfuscating the information trails on the blockchain. Ethereum mixers came under the scrutiny of global regulators after the OFAC ban. The developer of Tornado Cash has been arrested on suspicion of laundering money through the platform.

Related: Tornado Cash left a void, time will tell what fills it — Chief Scientist at Chainalysis

The ongoing controversy surrounding Tornado Cash has raised many questions in the cryptocurrency and developer community, and many have become concerned about legal issues related to writing open source code. Some major cryptocurrency companies have also lashed out at the Treasury Department’s actions, and Coinbase exchange has decided to uphold the lawsuit filed by a Tornado Cash user against her OFAC.

As previously reported, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has publicly claimed that he used Tornado Cash to donate funds to Ukraine to protect the financial privacy of recipients. .