GitHub unbans Tornado Cash repositories following OFAC guidance

Crypto mixer Twister Money has returned to the software program growth platform GitHub after a number of weeks of being banned on the web site.

Ethereum developer Preston Van Loon took to Twitter on Thursday to report that GitHub has partly unbanned the Twister Money group and contributors on their platform. The developer advised that Twister Money’s code repositories at the moment are in read-only mode, which signifies that GitHub is but to revive full performance.

“However that’s progress from an outright ban. I nonetheless encourage GitHub to reverse all actions and return the repositories to their former standing,” Van Loon acknowledged.

In response to GitHub knowledge, the newest Twister Money repositories updates have been made on Aug. 22, or shortly after Twister Money co-founder Roman Semenov reported that his account was on the platform. On Aug. 8, the US Workplace of International Asset Management (OFAC) banned United States residents from utilizing Twister Money and blacklisted 44 USD Coin (USDC) and Ether (ETH) addresses related to the mixer.

Twister Money’s return to GitHub got here quickly after the OFAC clarified its policies round Twister Money on Sept. 13, declaring that U.S. residents wouldn’t be violating sanctions by copying the mixer’s code or making it accessible on-line. The OFAC additionally famous that U.S. individuals wouldn’t be prohibited from visiting the Twister Money web site if it once more turns into accessible on-line.

Primarily based on the Ethereum blockchain, Twister Money is a instrument permitting customers to cover their crypto transactions to guard their anonymity by obfuscating info trails on the blockchain. The Ethereum mixer got here underneath scrutiny from international regulators after the OFAC’s ban, which triggered arrests of Tornado Cash developers for alleged involvement in cash laundering by way of the platform.

Associated: Tornado Cash left a void, time will tell what fills it — Chainalysis chief scientist

The continued controversy round Twister Money has raised lots of questions within the cryptocurrency and developer group, with many individuals turning into involved about authorized points linked to writing open-source code. Some main crypto corporations additionally pushed again towards the Treasury Division’s actions, with Coinbase exchange deciding to support a lawsuit introduced by Twister Money customers towards the OFAC.

As beforehand reported, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin publicly claimed that he used Twister Money to donate funds to Ukraine to guard the monetary privateness of the recipients.