2026-01-06 09:22:54

Recent convictions of privacy tool developers signal a chilling effect across the industry. Tornado Cash creator sentenced, Samourai team facing five-year prison terms—the legal precedent is hardening. Build privacy infrastructure stateside? Expect criminal liability when bad actors adopt your code, regardless of your intent.

This puts projects like Zcash and Monero at an inflection point. Full regulatory exit? Or pivot toward compliance frameworks with built-in transparency measures? The math is brutal: either evolve or face existential pressure. Which path survives the next enforcement wave is still an open question.

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MoonlightGamer

· 01-06 12:41

There's really no way out now. Privacy coins either have to turn over a new leaf or wait to die.

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ForkTongue

· 01-06 09:52

Buddy, now it's really impossible to play; using privacy tools can get you jailed... --- Even Tornado Cash founders can be sentenced, who dares to touch this stuff anymore? --- Zcash and Monero are really panicking now, either fleeing or lowering their heads and being obedient. --- The US approach is: you write code neutrally? No matter, if bad actors use it, it's your responsibility. Laughable. --- Privacy infrastructure in the US has no future anymore. Moving overseas? That’s also troublesome. --- This set of compliance and transparency measures, does that still count as privacy tools... Essentially, they've already compromised. --- After this wave of law enforcement, the next person to be prosecuted might be waiting for a notice.

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NotFinancialAdvice

· 01-06 09:51

Really? Developers are directly sentenced? Now privacy tools have become high-risk professions. What happened to the promised code freedom? Now writing a privacy feature means going to jail? That's a bit absurd. Zcash and Monero are in trouble now, both sides are dead... The end times for the crypto community have begun. Compliance and transparency? Then isn't that called a privacy tool? Isn't that a contradiction? This crackdown is really harsh. It seems that in the future, there are only two paths: going overseas completely or lying flat.

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GateUser-9f682d4c

· 01-06 09:34

ngl this really pushed privacy developers to the brink... Even the founder of Tornado Cash is in jail, who still dares to mess with this thing --- Compliance or exit, there's no other choice. Zcash and Monero are now dancing on the edge of a knife --- Basically, it's the government playing word games... Your code itself is fine, but if bad actors use it, it's your responsibility? That logic is incredible --- Now Web3 has truly become a hotbed, with all privacy infrastructure turning into ticking time bombs --- Europe has already started clearing the scene, and the US is catching up. Privacy is basically being shut down --- Instead of waiting for death, it's better to proactively adopt a transparency framework... Anyway, the promise of privacy has long been a joke --- What should we do about Monero, everyone? This time it's really dangerous

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GateUser-44a00d6c

· 01-06 09:29

NGL, privacy coins are really in trouble now. Just writing some code can get you thrown in jail. Who would still dare to touch this stuff?

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