The War On Code: Investigating the Tornado Cash Sanctions and the Arrest of Alex Pertsev

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The Defiant - DeFi, Web3 & NFT Insights

Күн бұрын

In August, just a few months ago on these very streets in Amsterdam, armed agents from the Fiscal Information and Investigation service (FIOD) suddenly arrested a man by the name of Alexey Pertsev…much to his own surprise. We do not yet know all the details surrounding his arrest, but what we do know is that he was quickly taken by the police and thrown into jail where he remains today-without charges and without having any contact with his wife or friends…
It feels like the scene of a high-intensity crime film, one where the feds finally capture a long-sought after fugitive. But Pertsev is not that. Pertsev is a programmer that for years has been publicly publishing open-source code, something that is typically protected by free speech laws. The code he wrote alongside others became integral to the privacy tool Tornado Cash, an Ethereum crypto mixer banned by OFAC just days before Perstev’s arrest in August for allegedly facilitating money laundering for criminals, including by North Korean-backed hackers.
This is what brings us here… to the streets of Amsterdam, where our search for answers continuously raises more questions: What is the real motive behind his arrest? Is this about money laundering, or is there more than what meets the eye? And what kind of precedent might this case be set for developers worldwide working on open-source code, for transparency in finance, for privacy, for human rights?
Pertsev though was not the only one to contribute code to Tornado Cash and played no part in the daily operations of the privacy tool. So Who really is Alexey Pertsev and why has he alone been arrested for writing open-source code?
You wouldn’t be able to tell from walking around the charming streets we find ourselves on right now, but something is brewing here in Amsterdam that could have massive ramifications for the rest of the world.
Chapters
0:00 Prologue
1:24 Chapter 1: Privacy
3:19 What is Tornado Cash
12:24 Chapter 2: Who is Alexey Pertsev?
17:33 Chapter 3: The tricky notion of INTENT
22:39 Chapter 4: The Trial
28:40 Chapter 5: Illusion
Special thanks to Peter Van Valkenburgh, Judith de Boer, Cem Adiyaman, and Petr Korolev for their contributions.
Music
/ muradbaylarov
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Пікірлер: 34

@TheDefiant Жыл бұрын

Subscribe to our channel and hit the bell icon to keep up with our regular uploads: tinyurl.com/TheDefiant

@dilldev Жыл бұрын

This is important. For decades, humanity will reference this moment no matter the outcome.

@galatasarayca Жыл бұрын

Finally - Defiant getting back to its roots - miss the documentaties

@johnshaull Жыл бұрын

Very thought provoking piece. Thanks for the background.

@omega3fatass61 Жыл бұрын

great vid, thanks for keeping this in the light. seems like 99% of this space doesn't care

@3obby Жыл бұрын

Thank you for making this.

@chriskevini Жыл бұрын

Props on this piece! It's criminal how underrated you still are

@user-nf6qi3uz4h Жыл бұрын

The big thing to think over. Thank you.

@bancambios Жыл бұрын

Awesome to see more documentaries

@savio718 Жыл бұрын

Share this with your normie friend's, fellow viewer's! Help get the word out, some level of privacy is needed! Great documentary. Objectively done, showing crypto is not the adolescent industry that 'needs to be made an example of'...

@JustNothingPetras Жыл бұрын

People should start buying Tornado Cash coins, nothing is better that stand for privacy Buy TORN coin share the message and support

@thom9909 Жыл бұрын

great vid

@encrypt3dbr0k3r Жыл бұрын

This was an awesome video!! Privacy preserving technologies like this are critical to protecting humanities freedom. If we want DeFi to progress we need full privacy. This entire Tornado situation is so unfortunate...especially with the current narrative around mixers now. Thankfully, there have been major developments in the space recently with stuff like Railgun Protocol. The major difference being Railgun is not a mixer, it uses full encryption! ...Really exciting times we are moving into.

@JustNothingPetras Жыл бұрын

People should start buying Tornado Cash coins, nothing is better that stand for privacy Buy TORN coin share the message and support

@oneofusall Жыл бұрын

monero

@mareksniknais5415 Жыл бұрын

Soon Vitalik Buterin will be in jail because ETH facilitated transactions for some people that ate pig instead bugs.

@genkisudo8888 Жыл бұрын

Is it a Russian song on the background? "Kino".

@azzot-azzot Жыл бұрын

My question: How does they know it? :)) defiant have Russian roots?

@behuzer Жыл бұрын

Gruppa krovi

@jdg9999 Жыл бұрын

"Like donating to an unpopular political cause" >donating to Ukraine. Lol, using the most establishment approved cause in the Western world as an example. Sending money to friends in Russia who are under Western sanctions would be an example of something actually transgressive.

@danhue1283 Жыл бұрын

So Monero is gonna be king from now on?

@avhnfq Жыл бұрын

russian hackers draining wallets as they want? how is that even possible... you need to back claims as such.

@gennadypro9989 2 ай бұрын

Очень интересно. Tornado Cash это один из основных фундаментальных проектов в криптовалюте. Если бы основатели изначально задумали проект для преступных целей, зачем им раскрывать свои личности? С их компетентностью в этом вопросе не составило бы труда остаться анонимами. Из открытых источников известно, что идею им предложил Виталий Бутерин. Его тоже привлекут к ответственности!!!?