Supply Shock Roman Storm’s Guilty Verdict: What It Means for Digital Privacy | David Z. Morris
Aug 28, 2025
David Z. Morris, author of 'Stealing the Future,' delves into the trial of Roman Storm, a Tornado Cash co-founder. He discusses the trial's split verdict and its significant implications for financial privacy and crypto regulation. Morris addresses the jury's challenges of navigating digital privacy and the ongoing debates surrounding decentralization and the limits of state control over technology. He also highlights the ethical dilemmas related to users' rights to anonymity in an increasingly regulated cryptocurrency landscape.
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Mixed Verdict, Big Legal Uncertainties
- The jury returned a mixed verdict: hung on money laundering and sanctions, guilty on a money-transmitting charge.
- David Z. Morris says this creates clear appellate pathways and multiple possible outcomes for Roman Storm.
Tornado Cash Was Locked In 2020
- Tornado Cash was built publicly at hackathons and locked in 2020 so its core contracts could not be changed.
- Morris recounts that after the lock, the founders could not alter backend operation even as events unfolded.
Founders Panicked Over Lazarus Hack
- After the 2022 Lazarus Group hacks, the founders panicked as stolen funds flowed into Tornado Cash.
- Morris describes seized chat messages showing founders texting "we're fucked" as evidence of their alarm.
