TLDR
Ashigaru, a new open-source project, has forked Samourai Wallet’s code
Ashigaru aims to provide secure, private, and censorship-resistant crypto solutions
The project was launched by anonymous developers claiming to be former Samourai users
Samourai Wallet founders were arrested in April 2024 on money laundering charges
The FBI seized Samourai Wallet’s website and servers, and the app was removed from stores
On September 20, a group of anonymous developers announced the launch of the Ashigaru Open Source Project, a hard fork of the Samourai Wallet code.
This development comes in the wake of legal troubles faced by the original Samourai Wallet team, whose founders were arrested on money laundering charges in April 2024.
The Ashigaru project, named after a type of Japanese foot soldier, aims to continue the work of Samourai Wallet in providing privacy-focused cryptocurrency solutions.
According to the project’s website, Ashigaru is committed to developing and maintaining free, open-source software that enables secure, private, and censorship-resistant transactions.
The developers behind Ashigaru describe themselves as former users of Samourai Wallet but stress that they have no connection to the original development team.
They state that their goal is to create tools with a low technical barrier to entry while maintaining high standards of security and privacy.
One of the key features of the Ashigaru wallet is its use of CoinJoin technology, a method that combines multiple Bitcoin transactions to obscure the origin and destination of funds.
Samourai Wallet has been forked. Some brave souls have picked up where Samourai Wallet left off and the fight for privacy lives on.
Excellent work in reigniting this flame in the darkest hour. Running your own Dojo now required.https://t.co/464YMuDoOMhttps://t.co/0QMBUCKVRy
— burn the bridge (@econoalchemist) September 22, 2024
This technique, along with other privacy-enhancing mechanisms, is designed to protect users from blockchain analysis and tracking.
The launch of Ashigaru comes at a critical time for privacy-focused cryptocurrency tools. In April 2024, Samourai Wallet founders Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill were arrested by U.S. authorities on charges of money laundering and operating an unlicensed money-transmitting business.
The Department of Justice alleges that the Samourai Wallet facilitated over $2 billion in unlawful transactions and more than $100 million in money laundering.
As part of the crackdown, the FBI seized Samourai Wallet’s website and servers, and the application was removed from app stores. This left many users of privacy-focused cryptocurrency wallets without access to their preferred tools.
The Ashigaru team’s decision to fork the Samourai code and continue development independently reflects a common practice in the open-source software community.
When a project faces challenges or its original developers are unable to continue their work, other developers can use the publicly available source code to create new versions or spin-off projects.
While the Ashigaru project promises to carry on the spirit of Samourai Wallet’s privacy-focused approach, it also raises questions about the future of privacy tools in the cryptocurrency space.
The legal actions against Samourai Wallet’s founders highlight the increasing scrutiny faced by developers of privacy-enhancing technologies in the crypto sector.
The Ashigaru developers emphasize their belief that individuals should be able to engage in “peaceful, voluntary, and private commerce on the internet without tracking, surveillance, or censorship.”
This stance aligns with the broader crypto community’s values of financial privacy and freedom from government oversight.
However, the project will likely face challenges as it navigates the complex regulatory landscape surrounding cryptocurrencies and privacy tools.
The ongoing legal case against the Samourai Wallet founders serves as a reminder of the potential risks faced by developers in this space.
As of now, little is known about the Ashigaru development team, who have chosen to remain anonymous. This decision may be influenced by the legal troubles faced by their predecessors, as well as a desire to protect their privacy and safety.
The Ashigaru project is still in its early stages, with the first version of the mobile wallet recently released. As the project develops, it will be interesting to see how it balances the need for user privacy with regulatory compliance and whether it can attract a significant user base in the wake of Samourai Wallet’s shutdown.
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