Reprinted from TidBITS by permission; reuse governed by Creative Commons
license BY-NC-ND 3.0. TidBITS has offered years of thoughtful commentary
on Apple and Internet topics. For free email subscriptions and access to the
entire TidBITS archive, visit http://www.tidbits.com/


                    TidBITS Doesn't Cover Rumors. Here's Why

   Adam Engst

   This is a sad story. A leaker identified on Twitter as @analyst941 says
   they were shut down by Apple. If their story is true, analyst941 was
   fed information by their sister, an Apple employee, who the company
   identified in a sting operation involving false information. In a
   [1]farewell post, analyst941 said their sister was fired and that both
   she and they face legal action by Apple.

   Apple hasn't confirmed the story, but the accuracy of analyst941's
   previous leaks makes it credible that they had an insider source.
   Apple's sting operation also conforms to typical corporate anti-leak
   policy; in the security world, such an operation is called a [2]canary
   trap. (Many years ago, a leaker told TidBITS editor Glenn Fleishman
   that Apple has long seeded different project code names to uncover
   leaks.) Find the general area of the leaks, feed different people
   uniquely trackable information, and then fire, sue, and'if the leak
   constitutes a crime'report those responsible to the authorities.

   There's nothing good about how this situation appears to have unwound,
   which exemplifies why TidBITS doesn't cover rumors. In the technology
   field, outside of a whistleblower revealing illegal behavior, lies
   about a company's products or services (particularly around data
   security), or activities that could endanger the public, leaks of
   confidential corporate information generally cause everyone to
   suffer'or at least look bad.
     * Leakers break social and legal contracts with their employers,
       usually from a desire to seem important, though financial reward
       can also be a motive. Neither is positive, and the repercussions of
       being discovered can be life-changing. These people want to have
       their cake and eat it, too: they want to keep their job and show
       off by releasing secrets, such as in [3]the case of Jack Teixeira,
       who allegedly posted confidential Pentagon documents to a Discord
       server.
     * Companies come off as heavy-handed for running sting operations
       against employees and resorting to harsh penalties. But they have
       little choice given that revealing corporate secrets could
       materially hurt both the company and, by direct extension, its
       employees and shareholders. For example, Apple could see billions
       in lost or deferred iPhone revenue if buyers believe features
       coming in the next version outweigh buying right now.
     * Publishers profit from this illicitly gathered material and
       encourage potential leakers with the promise of fame. Some even pay
       for information, adding a financial incentive. Creating a market
       for stolen secrets is responsible in part for generating a lack of
       trust between employers and employees, which encourages excessive
       employment contracts and employee surveillance. I never want
       TidBITS to benefit from the misfortunes of others. I write based on
       information that comes from reliable sources underpinned by
       analysis, publicly accessible documents, and other sorts of
       verifiable disclosures that aren't leaks and don't seem to harm
       individuals or our community.
     * Consumers provide the paying (at least with their eyeballs)
       audience for this material, thus implicitly rewarding publishers
       and leakers alike. Why? The attraction of learning information that
       companies want to keep secret is almost salacious'how different is
       hearing that iOS 17 might offer options for alternate app stores
       from following rumors of <insert celebrity name here> cheating on
       their spouse?

   Getting on my high horse is unlikely to make much difference in the
   tech media landscape. But I feel that shining a light on the corrosive
   nature of trafficking in leaks is worthwhile if doing so can even
   slightly reduce their supply and demand.

References

   Visible links
   1. https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/farewell-message.2389187/?post=32155671#post-32155671
   2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canary_trap
   3. https://apnews.com/article/leaked-documents-pentagon-justice-department-russia-war-d3272b34702d564fe07a480598bcd174

   Hidden links:
   4. https://tidbits.com/wp/../uploads/2023/05/Leaker.png

.