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Tornado cash is not a company or organisation run by people. It's decentralized software that runs on the blockchain itself. If all the devs went to prison, it

Tornado cash is not a company or organisation run by people. It's decentralized software that runs on the blockchain itself. If all the devs went to prison, it would keep on running without them. It doesn't make sense for it to be sanctioned, since you aren't really sanctioning anyone. Prosecuting the devs is also a stupid idea. The service will stay running regardless and no one benefits.

acdha 2y ago
It’s an organization run by people. That organization runs some software, like most organizations, but it’s not some AI invented it. Every line of code was created by a person, approved by a person, snd deployed by a person. The sanctions were for the use of that software knowingly not in compliance with the laws about money laundering, even after knowing there was extensive use by North Korea. The developers could have changed the service and chose not to, which is how they ended up being sanctioned.
- aussieguy1234 2y ago
  It's possible of course to sanction individuals using the software. But the decentralized service is more or less independent of the original Devs and will stay running without their involvement. The code is open source so I dont think anything technical would prevent some random person deploying the same software again into the blockchain, I'd be surprised if that hasn't already happened. You raise North Korea as a user, so sanction them. There are other users who just want their finances to be free of government control. Perhaps they are ordinary people living in a dictatorship under capital controls and just want to get their money outside of that system.
  - acdha 2y ago
    Yes, someone else could deploy a copy. Then misuse would be their concern, just as a bank cannot evade KYC laws by saying someone else also might do so. That’s really the point here: there are laws, they knew that their software did not follow them and was being used for large scale money laundering, and not being part of an organized crime group they were soft targets. Providing infrastructure for criminals is inherently high risk activity.
    - aussieguy1234 2y ago
      Ironically, a good user candidate for this type of service could be a dissident fleeing North Korea. They'll need some way to move their wealth out of the country. The North Korean government, being a state actor, will always find ways to move money around with or without crypto. Ordinary North Koreans on the other hand could use a service like this to keep their wealth away from the hands of their repressive govt.
jxjnskkzxxhx 2y ago
I swear people like you live in a fantasy reality.

acdha 2y ago

It’s an organization run by people. That organization runs some software, like most organizations, but it’s not some AI invented it. Every line of code was created by a person, approved by a person, snd deployed by a person. The sanctions were for the use of that software knowingly not in compliance with the laws about money laundering, even after knowing there was extensive use by North Korea. The developers could have changed the service and chose not to, which is how they ended up being sanctioned.

aussieguy1234 2y ago
It's possible of course to sanction individuals using the software. But the decentralized service is more or less independent of the original Devs and will stay running without their involvement. The code is open source so I dont think anything technical would prevent some random person deploying the same software again into the blockchain, I'd be surprised if that hasn't already happened. You raise North Korea as a user, so sanction them. There are other users who just want their finances to be free of government control. Perhaps they are ordinary people living in a dictatorship under capital controls and just want to get their money outside of that system.
- acdha 2y ago
  Yes, someone else could deploy a copy. Then misuse would be their concern, just as a bank cannot evade KYC laws by saying someone else also might do so. That’s really the point here: there are laws, they knew that their software did not follow them and was being used for large scale money laundering, and not being part of an organized crime group they were soft targets. Providing infrastructure for criminals is inherently high risk activity.
  - aussieguy1234 2y ago
    Ironically, a good user candidate for this type of service could be a dissident fleeing North Korea. They'll need some way to move their wealth out of the country. The North Korean government, being a state actor, will always find ways to move money around with or without crypto. Ordinary North Koreans on the other hand could use a service like this to keep their wealth away from the hands of their repressive govt.

jxjnskkzxxhx 2y ago

I swear people like you live in a fantasy reality.