Justice Needs Better Rules, Not More Punishment

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, California faced a terrifying monster—the Golden State Killer. He hurt countless people and got away for decades. Then came a breakthrough: Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG), a new tool that mixes DNA science with family history research. It finally cracked the case wide open. Since then, over a thousand old crimes have been solved worldwide using this same method. But what if governments had blocked IGG before it even started? Innocent families would still be waiting for answers. Technology moves fast, and laws often lag behind. Take cryptocurrency. Confusing rules and harsh enforcement push honest developers to work in the dark or move overseas. That doesn’t stop crime—it just makes it harder for police to catch real criminals. When rules are unclear, the bad guys hide better than the good guys. For 25 years, prosecutors have faced a tough job: charging gang members, hate criminals, and fraudsters. But now, a law meant to stop money laundering is being twisted to punish software creators. Section 1960 was designed to target shady cash exchanges and storefronts. Instead, federal prosecutors are using it against developers who never touch real money or control user funds. They built peer-to-peer tools that let people trade directly—no middleman, no crime. Calling them criminals is like charging a hammer maker for a nail’s misuse.This approach backfires. Talented developers leave the U. S. to avoid unfair charges. The country’s share of open-source contributors dropped from 25% to 18% in just four years. Every lost developer means lost tools—and less control over what happens next. It’s like kicking a scientist out of the lab because someone else might misuse their work. Some progress arrived in 2025 when the DOJ agreed not to prosecute truly decentralized software. But words on paper aren’t enough. Future leaders can erase that guidance in a heartbeat. Real safety comes from clear laws—not surprise raids on bedroom coders. Criminals do exist. Drug cartels launder money through exchanges. Ponzi schemes steal from investors. But charging an email provider for someone’s scam email makes no sense. Likewise, Section 1960 should hit the crooks, not the code they didn’t write. Good laws exist to protect people, not punish progress.