This is the unfortunate nature of _all_ privacy preserving technologies. Signal, whole disk encryption, the password to a user's iphone backup -- these are _all_ more beneficial to criminals than to the layperson.
It so happens that, until very recently, our government keepers have enjoyed unfettered access to data about our lives on a scale that is unprecedented. We will continue to see this same battle "privacy is only to the benefit of criminals" play out over and over in every medium.
For me, I prefer privacy and for government investigators to be forced to do their job. This has the unfortunate (for Americans) side effect of unraveling much of the American financial hegemony.
> Signal, whole disk encryption, the password to a user's iphone backup -- these are _all_ more beneficial to criminals than to the layperson.
That's an extraordinary claim. Do you have any data or arguments to back that up? Millions (billions?) of people use those technologies every day for non-criminal purposes. Are there really more criminals out there using them for nefarious purposes?
Machine guns are valuable instruments in society designed to make sure people and treasures are safe. They are used far more often for protecting those assets than mowing down people. Not just used by gangsters.
The sanction was on tornado cash specifically and not on Ethereum or cryptocurrencies as a whole. The latter would be similar to banning cars IMO.