This is what they’re doing. North Korea laundered money via Tornado Cash [1]. Authorities announced it and watched Tornado Cash do nothing. So it got sanctioned. Every other mixer is untouched.
[1] https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/30/north-korea-likely-behind-10....
North Korea also used HTTP for navigating websites which helped them hack targets and also launder more money. Banning Tornado Cash is like banning the HTTP specification/IETF for that, instead of going after the group in North Korea doing the money laundering/hacking.
There was a team of developers earning compensation, hiring and firing. That’s more than just code.
Guns are quite literally just atoms. The context matters. Not all guns are illegal. But ones used to commit crimes will get lawfully seized. The code exists in context, and the developers’ actions and intentions are relevant. None of this is novel.
This is the kind of sociopathic irresponsibility that's too common in tech. "Oh, it's not my fault my lab-grown monster decided to terrorize the countryside!"