We want to stop them by catching them. Them stopping and changing their operation to reduce the chances of being caught is not the desired outcome.

If we have to choose between criminals just stopping crime but getting away, and maybe catching them while destroying freedoms in the process, let's go with the first one. The goal should be to stop crime, period, without damaging the lives of the innocent.

I'm not arguing with that.

I'm saying that disclosures that add no value to the public discourse but are of value to criminals are not a good choice of tool for protecting freedoms.

To put it another way: supplying useful information to criminals while not helping the public is not a desirable state of affairs.