[the_stc]

Because the decoy selection is not part of protocol not everyone is doing it. Some exchanges have increased ringsize but kept old selection system. Not to mention that exchanges make up a large bulk of Monero TX and hence are one warrant/hack away from killing a bunch of decoys anyways.

Monero would gain credibility if it took a conservative approach to ringsize then used research to lower the ringsize. Instead we get no justification for ringsize saying there is no research that shows an increase needed. This is the opposite way of how security is approached. Indeed: The only MRL statement I know of on churn is that it does not work.

I appreciate the work you do and MRL overall. But without practical examination of real-world threats it feels a bit empty. And Monero team refusal to provide any sort of disclaimer at all really undermines the sincerity.