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I personally don't think this is much like the Kavanaugh situation. For example, Dr. Ford stepped forward publicly, in full knowledge that a massive machine wo

I personally don't think this is much like the Kavanaugh situation. For example, Dr. Ford stepped forward publicly, in full knowledge that a massive machine would swing into action to besmirch and defame her, whereas the allegations about espionage were made in confidence. The six(?) individuals making these allegations are risking nothing at this point. Also, Dr. Ford's allegations reach back into time and are difficult to conclusively prove,* while this is a situation where physical evidence does exist somewhere. It may not be presented to us at the moment, but if the allegations are true, there were physical motherboards that could have been examined to demonstrate the exploits. What the two have most in common is that we the public are unlikely to be provided with a full and transparent investigation. The FBI's "investigation" into Dr. Ford's allegations did not involve speaking to her or others who could corroborate aspects of her story. Others from Yale approached the FBI and did not get interviewed. The same is probably true of this story. Even if the allegations are true, for diplomatic or other strategic reasons, the government is unlikely to shine a spotlight on the details. * Note that "Conclusively prove," is not the same thing as "Obtain enough confidence based on other reports to make a decision about job fitness."

40acres 8y ago
I think similarly to how Dr. Ford knew she would be questioned and pushed into the spotlight when making these allegations public, Bloomberg similarly would've had to calculate the risk that Apple, Amazon, and China would push back on this story vigorously and try to discredit Bloomberg. I guess my basic premise is that I'm more liable to believe that Bloomberg is operating in good faith in reporting this story. Now that does not mean that their sources may not be credible, but I'm more likely to believe they published this story in good faith rather than Amazon and Apple denying the story in good faith.
- braythwayt 8y ago
  I agree that Bloomberg is reporting this in good faith, and that they corroborated as much as they could have given the information they received. The credibility of their unnamed sources, their motives, and so forth, this is all unclear at this point. It may turn out that they are courageous patriots blowing the whistle on something very, very big. One can imagine a cover-up at the highest level, with these six individuals risking their careers and possibly their lives to reveal the truth. Or one can imagine that there are some trade negotiations coming up, and a coördinated effort to plant a story so that politicians can take credit for swooping in and enacting regulations around the security of technology manufactured outside of the USA. Who knows? I don't.

40acres 8y ago

I think similarly to how Dr. Ford knew she would be questioned and pushed into the spotlight when making these allegations public, Bloomberg similarly would've had to calculate the risk that Apple, Amazon, and China would push back on this story vigorously and try to discredit Bloomberg. I guess my basic premise is that I'm more liable to believe that Bloomberg is operating in good faith in reporting this story. Now that does not mean that their sources may not be credible, but I'm more likely to believe they published this story in good faith rather than Amazon and Apple denying the story in good faith.

braythwayt 8y ago
I agree that Bloomberg is reporting this in good faith, and that they corroborated as much as they could have given the information they received. The credibility of their unnamed sources, their motives, and so forth, this is all unclear at this point. It may turn out that they are courageous patriots blowing the whistle on something very, very big. One can imagine a cover-up at the highest level, with these six individuals risking their careers and possibly their lives to reveal the truth. Or one can imagine that there are some trade negotiations coming up, and a coördinated effort to plant a story so that politicians can take credit for swooping in and enacting regulations around the security of technology manufactured outside of the USA. Who knows? I don't.