The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has made a notable shift in its approach to enforcing laws related to blockchain development. Acting AG Todd Blanche announced this change at a Bitcoin conference in Las Vegas, where he stated that the DOJ and FBI will no longer target developers over platforms used for illegal activity.
Instead, the focus will be on users engaged in financial crime. According to Blanche, 'if you are developing software, if you are a coder, if you are part of that process and you are not the third-party user, and you are not helping and knowing the third party is using what you developed to commit crimes, you are not going to be investigated and not going to be charged.'
This marks a significant change from previous enforcement efforts, which had led to strong action against developers of platforms like Tornado Cash. The DOJ has been criticized for its approach, with some arguing that it has created uncertainty among developers.