Alchemy and Infura block access to Tornado Cash as Vitalik Buterin weighs in on debate
2022.08.10 05:49
Alchemy and Infura block access to Tornado Cash as Vitalik Buterin weighs in on debate
According to Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) user @0xdev0, on Monday, Web3 development platform Alchemy and Infura.io blocked remote procedure call (RPC (NYSE:RES)) requests to cryptocurrency mixer Tornado Cash, preventing users from accessing the applications. The day prior, the U.S. Treasury placed 44 smart contract addresses linked to Tornado Cash in the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) list. U.S. persons and entities are prohibited from blockchain or business interactions with Tornado Cash under t sanctions, with the possibility of criminal liabilities for violations.
The move came after the U.S. Treasury alleged individuals and groups had used the privacy protocol to launder more than $7 billion worth of crypto since 2019, including the $455 million stolen by the North Korea-affiliated Lazarus Group. Almost immediately after the announcement, stablecoin issuer Circle froze USD Coin funds held within Tornado Cash’s smart contracts. Meanwhile, programming repository GitHub took down the project’s main page and blocked developer access.
