Coin Center Research Director: The U.S. Department of Justice exceeded its authority in Tornado Cash and Samourai Wallet cases

Recent actions by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) against non-custodial crypto wallet developers have sparked controversy and concern in the cryptocurrency community. According to Coin Center, the charges mark a significant shift from previous U.S. policy on money transmission, potentially impacting the freedom and privacy rights of developers and users. Coin Center research director Peter Van Valkenburgh said the development marks a "criminal enforcement of regulation" and is overreaching. The shift, which comes amid recent charges against Samourai Wallet developers and the ongoing Tornado Cash case, suggests the U.S. Department of Justice may be overhauling its approach to cryptocurrency regulation. Valkenburgh elaborated on the severity of the situation, saying, "Since at least 2013, the U.S. government has had a clear and consistent policy that developers of cryptocurrency wallets and users of those wallets are not money transmitters." He also added that the potential reclassification of all wallet software as money transmitters, regardless of the nature of their operations, would stifle innovation and infringe on users' rights to independently manage their digital assets. (Bitcoin.com)