In his complaint, Ki Young Ju highlighted that American law enforcement officers have been arresting individuals who aim to protect the confidentiality of their bitcoins. Privacy is a fundamental value of Bitcoin, and the act of mixing funds is not inherently illegal. Even cryptocurrency exchanges utilize mixing techniques to safeguard the privacy of their users. Ju compared the arrest of Samourai Wallet developers to punishing the inventor of a knife rather than the one who uses it.
The US DOJ has arrested pioneers in #Bitcoin privacy technology.
Privacy stands as a core value of Bitcoin. Mixing itself is not a crime. Even crypto exchanges use mixing to safeguard user privacy.
It’s like punishing the inventor of the knife instead of the one who uses it. https://t.co/S7qcqtqCJh
— Ki Young Ju (@ki_young_ju) April 25, 2024
The CEO of Samourai Wallet, Keonne Rodriguez, and CTO William Hill were charged with conspiracy to launder money and operate an unlicensed money transfer business. Ryan Adams, a cryptanalyst, expressed concern in a tweet that the developers face up to 25 years in prison simply for writing code. According to Adams, the United States is signaling that no cryptocurrency transaction will remain confidential.
The US is sending a message.
No transaction will be private. https://t.co/8ToyHQD7nw
— RYAN SΞAN ADAMS – rsa.eth (@RyanSAdams) April 24, 2024
In August 2023, the US Department of Justice charged the developers of the cryptomixer service Tornado Cash with money laundering, violating sanctions, and operating a business without a license.