Tornado Cash Deep Dive
A comprehensive exploration of the pioneering privacy protocol that enables confidential transactions on transparent blockchains
Introduction to Tornado Cash
Tornado Cash is a privacy-focused, decentralized non-custodial protocol built on the Ethereum blockchain that allows users to break the on-chain link between source and destination addresses. At its core, it's an open-source cryptocurrency mixer (also known as a tumbler) that runs on Ethereum Virtual Machine-compatible networks.
Key Information: Initially released on December 17, 2019, by developers Roman Semenov, Alexey Pertsev, and Roman Storm, Tornado Cash was created based on open-source research done by the Zcash team. The protocol has faced significant regulatory challenges but continues to operate on multiple blockchains including Ethereum, Binance Smart Chain, and Polygon.
The protocol gained significant attention when it faced sanctions from the U.S. Treasury in August 2022, which were ultimately overturned by a U.S. Fifth Circuit court ruling in November 2024. In March 2025, the U.S. Treasury officially lifted these sanctions, marking a pivotal moment in the regulation of privacy tools in cryptocurrency.