Like I said, it's not always that simple. When it's not, something less than 100% transparency allows one to look at the given particulars of a case and determine whether or not someone is simply trying to evade the spirit of a rule or not. It gives enforcement actors a little lee-way that they wouldn't otherwise have.

> It gives enforcement actors a little lee-way that they wouldn't otherwise have.

Which can be and often is subject to abuse.

One of the worst things about engineers in general and HN specifically is we all pretend that law is executed like code, in a vacuum, idempotently based on the inputs. That's was, is, and will never be the case.

Abuse can be exposed and punished, and very often is.

> Abuse can be exposed and punished, and very often is.

But nowhere near often enough.

Law in many countries comes down to "I know it when I see it" from the judges.

That sounds like it will lead to a lot more restrictions than there are today.