Key Highlights
- Solana Policy Institute backs Roman Storm amid his legal battle related to money transmitting charges.
- The institute urges lawmakers to pass clear rules so that open-source developers are not criminalized.
- Over $6.3 million has been donated to Storm’s legal defense, with support from major crypto figures like Vitalik Buterin.
The Solana Policy Institute (SPI) is pushing for more legal protections for software developers after Roman Storm, the developer behind Tornado Cash, was found guilty on a money transmitting charge in August 2025.
In an open letter, the organization said that this case is “not an isolated dispute” and could influence how the United States treats open-source innovation in the future. SPI leaders Kristin Smith and Miller Whitehouse-Levine stressed that criminalizing the act of writing code risks driving talented developers out of the system entirely.
The group is urging lawmakers in Washington to pass legislation that would clarify when software developers are exempt from money transmitting laws.
$6.3 million raised for Storm’s support
Tornado Cash is a decentralized cryptocurrency mixing service designed to give users privacy when making transactions. While Storm faced charges for money transmitting, the jury did not reach a verdict on money laundering or sanctions-related counts.
Since the verdict, supporters across the crypto industry have donated over $6.3 million to Storm’s legal defense. Earlier, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin published a letter supporting Storm, advocating for software freedom and personal privacy rights.
Meanwhile, SPI CEO Miller Whitehouse-Levine commented on the case, stating, “It’s really unfortunate because this is certainly the largest regulatory, and in this instance criminal, overhang for the ecosystem in the United States at the moment. Given that sentencing has not occurred, hope springs eternal.”
Seeking protection for developers
The Solana Policy Institute emphasized that protecting developers is essential for open innovation and digital security. Across the crypto ecosystem, developers work globally to build software that anyone can inspect, use, or improve. The institute highlighted that open-source software secures networks, protects users, and enables permissionless innovation worldwide.
They warned that treating software creation as a crime confuses builders with bad actors and punishes people for creating lawful code. Privacy-enhancing tools, in particular, are important for safeguarding sensitive data, securing transactions, and protecting communities from surveillance or abuse.
The Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA), included in the latest Senate Banking Committee bill, would provide protections for non-custodial developers who do not control user funds. It would give clear guidance on when software developers are not considered money transmitters. “That is a major highlight in the bill, and is a huge, huge win,” Whitehouse-Levine added.
Why the case matters
Storm’s conviction could make software developers less confident in building new tools or publishing code. Many developers may worry that creating legal, open-source software could lead to criminal charges. SPI leaders said this could lead to developers avoiding working on privacy tools or other important software.
SPI concluded by stating, “We stand with the developer community. We stand for innovation. For privacy. For constitutional protections. We stand with Roman Storm.”
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