Tornado.cash is a blockchain-based privacy protocol built on the Ethereum platform. It enables users to separate sender and recipient data, offering cutting-edge financial anonymity.
Unlike custodial mixers, Tornado mixer uses smart contracts that are self-executing and trustless, ensuring that users retain complete custody of their funds at all times. This autonomous framework brings transparency and removes any central point of failure or censorship.
The core of Tornado Cash lies in privacy-preserving proofs, which enable transactions to be confirmed without disclosing specific deposit information. This ensures transaction obfuscation between the deposit and the withdrawal.
Because of its advanced privacy features, Tornado mixer quickly attracted users by those seeking on-chain anonymity. It’s used for protecting wallet privacy, among other legitimate needs.
However, this tool has also come under fire from law enforcement agencies. In 2022, the U.S. Treasury’s OFAC sanctioned the use of Tornado.cash, citing concerns over anonymity exploitation. Still, the protocol remains unstoppable since its smart contracts are immutable and cannot be taken offline.
Defenders believe that Tornado Cash is a neutral tool, much like the internet itself — and that privacy rights must be defended, even if some actors misuse them.
Use cases for Tornado Cash include:
Keeping personal finances hidden from public analysis
Anonymous fundraising in hostile regions
Using Ethereum without exposing history
As governments around the world push for tornado cash more monitoring, the demand for tools like Tornado Cash continues to grow. The future of digital asset privacy hinges on whether open-source technology will be protected or suppressed.
Whether you're a privacy advocate or just someone looking to protect your funds, Tornado.cash remains a popular tool in the world of ETH-based anonymity.