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Ashigaru Project Revives Samourai Wallet’s Privacy Mission

Writer's picture: Blockonome GnomeBlockonome Gnome

Anonymous developers launch the Ashigaru Open Source Project to continue providing privacy-focused crypto solutions after Samourai Wallet's founders' arrests.


Ashigaru Project Revives Samourai Wallet’s Privacy Mission

On September 20, a group of anonymous developers launched the Ashigaru Open Source Project, a privacy-focused cryptocurrency wallet designed as a hard fork of the Samourai Wallet. The Ashigaru project arrives in response to the recent legal troubles faced by the original Samourai Wallet team, whose founders were arrested in April 2024 on money laundering charges.


Ashigaru, named after Japanese foot soldiers, aims to uphold Samourai Wallet’s mission of providing secure and censorship-resistant financial transactions. The developers, claiming to be former users of Samourai Wallet, have no connection to its original team. Their primary goal is to create an easy-to-use wallet that still maintains the highest standards of privacy and security.


One of the standout features of Ashigaru is its use of CoinJoin, a privacy-enhancing technology that mixes multiple Bitcoin transactions to obscure the trail of funds. This makes it difficult for third parties to track and analyze transactions on the blockchain. Such privacy measures are critical in safeguarding users from invasive surveillance, according to the Ashigaru team.


The creation of Ashigaru comes at a time of heightened scrutiny for privacy-focused tools in the cryptocurrency space. In April, Samourai Wallet’s founders, Keonne Rodriguez and William Hill, were arrested on charges of money laundering and running an unlicensed money-transmitting business. U.S. authorities allege that the Samourai Wallet facilitated over $2 billion in illegal transactions. Following their arrests, the FBI seized Samourai Wallet’s infrastructure, including its website and servers, which left many users without access to the service.


The Ashigaru team’s decision to fork the original Samourai Wallet code and carry on the project independently reflects a common practice in the open-source software community. Forking allows developers to continue a project even when the original creators are unable to do so. This move demonstrates the team's commitment to maintaining privacy solutions, despite the legal challenges their predecessors faced.


The emergence of Ashigaru also brings to the forefront the growing regulatory pressure on privacy-focused cryptocurrency tools. Governments worldwide are increasingly scrutinizing platforms that offer enhanced privacy features, citing concerns over money laundering and illicit activities. Nevertheless, the Ashigaru team firmly believes in the right to private and censorship-free transactions.


Although still in its early stages, the Ashigaru project has already released the first version of its mobile wallet. The project’s development and adoption will serve as a test of how well it can navigate the regulatory landscape while continuing to prioritize user privacy.


photo source / Blockonome

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