Yes, I acknowledge that storing an xpub in a way that makes it possible to identify who it belongs to is dangerous and deserves criticism.

However, the text I wrote earlier was not focused on this specific technical issue, but on a broader and more fundamental topic: freedom, privacy, and the creative autonomy of software developers.

Even if storing an xpub could, in some cases, enable or contribute to illegal activity, we must clearly separate responsibility. Blaming developers for the individual actions of third parties sets a very dangerous precedent. It shifts responsibility away from personal choice and onto people who only created a tool.

If this logic is applied consistently, any technology creator could be held responsible for how others use their work. Taken to the extreme, if Satoshi Nakamoto had been identified, he could have been prosecuted — or even sentenced to death — for actions committed by people he never met and never had control over.

This path does not protect society. It only suppresses innovation, criminalizes freedom, and puts software development itself under constant threat.