🏛 [Analysis] Writing and publishing code alone cannot be a crime – Jerry Brito & Peter Van Valkenburgh

Coin Center argues that smart contract code is a tool, and like nearly any tool it can and will be used by good and bad people for both legal and illegal purposes. It is easy to reasonably foresee that any smart contract will be used for illegal purposes, because tools are themselves purpose-agnostic. This is not unique to smart contracts and is applicable to other contracts like the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) Master Agreement as well. The author of the misused protocol, whether it be ISDA or Augur, is not the responsible party, unless we can find some deeper involvement in the crime than mere publication of a tool.