# Tornado Cash

> cryptocurrency tumbler, fully decentralized protocol for private transactions on Ethereum

**Wikidata**: [Q113481936](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q113481936)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_Cash)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/tornado-cash

## Summary
Tornado Cash is a fully decentralized cryptocurrency tumbler designed for private transactions on the Ethereum network. It is an open-source software protocol that works by breaking the on-chain link between the source and destination addresses of a transaction, thereby enhancing user privacy.

## Key Facts
- **Classification:** A cryptocurrency tumbler, free software, and open-source software.
- **Purpose:** To enable private transactions on the Ethereum blockchain.
- **Creators:** Founded by Roman Storm and developed by Roman Semyenov and Alexey Pertsev.
- **License:** Distributed under the GNU General Public License, version 3.0.
- **Initial Release:** Version 1.0 was released on August 7, 2019.
- **Latest Version:** Version 3.0 was released on December 15, 2021.
- **Sanctions:** The U.S. Department of the Treasury sanctioned Tornado Cash on August 8, 2022.
- **Source Code:** The core source code repository is hosted on GitHub.

## FAQs
### Q: What does Tornado Cash do?
A: Tornado Cash is a protocol that mixes cryptocurrency transactions on the Ethereum network to obscure their origins and destinations. It allows users to deposit funds from one address and withdraw them to a different address without creating a direct, traceable link between the two.

### Q: Who created Tornado Cash?
A: Tornado Cash was founded by Roman Storm and developed by a team that includes Roman Semyenov and Alexey Pertsev.

### Q: Is Tornado Cash still active?
A: On August 8, 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned the protocol. The primary English-language website, `tornado-app.cash`, was listed as sanctioned with an end time of August 10, 2022.

## Why It Matters
Tornado Cash is significant because it directly addresses the issue of privacy on public blockchains like Ethereum, where all transactions are otherwise transparent and traceable. As a fully decentralized protocol, it operates via smart contracts without a central intermediary, embodying a core principle of the cryptocurrency ethos. Its status as open-source and free software allows its code to be publicly audited and verified.

The project became a major case study in the conflict between financial privacy and government regulation. The 2022 sanctions by the U.S. Treasury sparked a widespread debate on the nature of code, censorship, and the responsibilities of developers in the decentralized finance (DeFi) space. The event highlighted the legal and regulatory challenges facing privacy-enhancing technologies in the digital age.

## Notable For
- **Decentralized Privacy:** It provides transaction privacy through a fully decentralized, non-custodial protocol, meaning users retain control of their funds without relying on a central operator.
- **Open-Source Protocol:** As free and open-source software licensed under the GPL 3.0, its codebase is available for anyone to study, use, and verify, fostering transparency.
- **U.S. Treasury Sanction:** It is one of the most prominent decentralized protocols to be sanctioned by the U.S. government, a landmark event that impacted its developers and the broader DeFi ecosystem.
- **Multi-Version Evolution:** The protocol underwent significant development, evolving from its initial release in 2019 through multiple versions to a major upgrade with v3 in late 2021.

## Body
### Overview and Purpose
Tornado Cash is a cryptocurrency tumbler and a fully decentralized protocol built for private transactions on the Ethereum network. Its primary function is to break the on-chain link between the source and destination of cryptocurrency funds, enhancing user privacy. The entity is classified as free software, open-source software, and a website.

### Development and Licensing
- **Founder:** Roman Storm
- **Developers:** Roman Semyenov and Alexey Pertsev
- **License:** The software is distributed under the GNU General Public License, version 3.0.
- **Source Code:** The core source code repository is located at `https://github.com/tornadocash/tornado-core`.

### Version History
The protocol evolved through several key releases:
- **Version 1.0:** Released on August 7, 2019.
- **Version 2.0:** Released on December 17, 2019.
- **Version 2.1:** Released on May 12, 2020.
- **Version 3.0:** The preferred version, released on December 15, 2021.

### Online Presence and Sanctions
Tornado Cash maintained a significant online presence, including a primary application website and a blog available in multiple languages such as English, Spanish, Russian, German, French, and Chinese.
- **Primary Website:** `https://tornado-app.cash/en/` (active from July 17, 2019).
- **Sanctions:** On August 8, 2022, the U.S. Department of the Treasury officially sanctioned Tornado Cash. The sanction notice indicated an end time for the primary website around August 10, 2022.

## Schema Markup
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "Tornado Cash",
  "description": "A fully decentralized cryptocurrency tumbler and protocol for private transactions on the Ethereum network.",
  "url": "https://tornado-app.cash/en/",
  "logo": "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Tornado_cash_logo.jpg",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_Cash",
    "https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/tornado-cash"
  ],
  "additionalType": "http://schema.org/SoftwareApplication",
  "alternateName": ["tornado", "TornadoCash", "tornado.cash"]
}

## References

1. [Source](https://www.coindesk.com/tech/2021/12/15/ethereum-mixer-tornado-cash-launches-major-upgrade-as-v3-approaches/)
2. [Release 1.0. 2019](https://github.com/tornadocash/tornado-core/releases/tag/1.0)
3. [Release 2.0. 2019](https://github.com/tornadocash/tornado-core/releases/tag/v2.0)
4. [Release 2.1. 2020](https://github.com/tornadocash/tornado-core/releases/tag/v2.1)