GoFundMe has reportedly cancelled and removed a fundraising campaign for the Tornado Cash lawsuit from its platform, causing a stir among organizers and donors.
The organizers of the fundraiser, via their X handle, announced this, stating all contributions have been returned to the donors, with funds expected to reflect in donors’ bank accounts within three to seven days.
The organizers claimed that the platform cited a breach of its terms of service, specifically its Term 22, as the reason for the action. This particular term retains the platform’s rights to halt any activity it deems “objectionable” or that could potentially harm or expose the platform, its employees, or users to “any harm or liability of any type.”
They asked GoFundMe, which has not provided an official statement, to provide specific information on why the fundraiser was cancelled. They cited instances of fundraisers for other legal cases on the platform that weren’t cancelled or got similar treatment to Tornado Cash.
.@GofundMe, can you provide a more detailed explanation for removing this fundraiser from your platform? You routinely allow legal defense fundraising campaigns, so why are you interfering with this one?
— Free Pertsev & Storm (@FreeAlexeyRoman) February 14, 2024
The organizers noted that though the fundraiser on GoFundMe has been stopped, they still continue to accept donations on the decentralized platform JuiceBoxETH. They enjoined their supporters to keep donating since they had not reached their goal of raising $1.5 million.
The fundraising initiative began on January 22, 2024, when Tornado Cash co-founder Roman Storm appealed for community support through a video post on X released on the same day.
The cancellation sparked criticism, especially from donors like entrepreneur Ryan Sean Adams, who initially pledged $10,000 in support through his DAO project Bankless. Adams stated that though GoFundMe had cancelled the support, the funds would be resent in crypto equivalent to the Tornado Cash team.
Tornado Cash’s legal woes began on August 23, 2023, when co-founder Roman Storm was arrested and charged by the Department of Justice (DOJ). The DOJ accused Storm of money laundering, with charges related to an alleged $1 billion in “criminal proceeds.” Additionally, Tornado Cash was accused of aiding the Lazarus Group in bypassing U.S. sanctions, purportedly enabling North Korea to finance its nuclear program.
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