FWIW, if I thought any protected class (or even non-protected) was the basis for a lower-than-deserved pay, I would take that to HR and/or file a whistleblower

FWIW, if I thought any protected class (or even non-protected) was the basis for a lower-than-deserved pay, I would take that to HR and/or file a whistleblower report. You're talking about illegal activity. Casually surveying people's opinions on breaking the law and potentially leaving an incriminating paper trail that could harm the company seems similar the antitrust topic in the article. I'd say discussions of any illegal activity on the company's behalf should be directed toward HR / legal.