a STO has to go through regulations exactly as a IPO does, a STO has to be traded on a ATS or through a broker thus not being allowed to freely transact in a currency like manner thus not making it a cryptocurrency.
I agree with you, a project that uses STO is not a crypto project. but it was better than imposing ICO participation but the end of the project was a scam. STO is only an alternative for those who still doubt, if they already know the difference, they will definitely think again.