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While I agree that the author clearly has to keep the details private from the press for their own safety, the whole article frames the alleged victims as power

While I agree that the author clearly has to keep the details private from the press for their own safety, the whole article frames the alleged victims as powerless, but in truth they are not. The behaviors described are mostly criminal, they have legal recourse, it's not like civil cases where they would be buried from the other sides legal team. And speaking of the other side they are private companies employing ex intelligence people they don't have the immense backing of a state behind them, if they get caught doing illegal things a few times thats it their whole business could be under threat. I am guessing they are very chummy with law enforcement, have good lawyers and may be in bed with politicians but the whole thing looks extremely precarious it would only take a couple of cases to stick for real prison time for these folks.

hnfong 1y ago
Have you even read my link? > don't have the immense backing of a state They had backing of a foreign state power, in this case Hong Kong (and by implication China) > it would only take a couple of cases to stick for real prison time for these folks The guy just died a mysterious death once the thing was exposed. He must have wished for prison time.
- throwawayffffas 1y ago
  I did, I just don't think the particulars really much what the politico article discusses. The private security companies in the case in your link are in my opinion incidental. In your link a state actor recruited a bunch of people to do it's dirty work. Typical state sponsored intelligence stuff. The security companies were really a former marine and a couple of former Hong Kong cops. They could have been hired ad hoc. In the politico article it discusses shops run from groups of former intelligence agencies (MI5 and MI6 presumably) running intelligence operations for companies. It's an entire different kind of thing in my opinion. Sure if a van rolls up across your home with a bunch of dudes in it you can't know which case you are dealing with, but either way calling the cops is the right way to go.
  - hnfong 1y ago
    From TFA: "In the last year, government ministers and intelligence agencies have warned that foreign states are using the industry to “carry out their dirty work” in the U.K. — sometimes through the surveillance and harassment of dissidents that have fled to Britain as a safe haven." I guess the article discusses other things too, but even if your argument makes sense here, it doesn't negate the fact that once powerful foreign entities are involved, ones that have enough resources and motivation to hire ex-spies to do dirty work, calling the police can lead to disastrous outcomes. I guess you're lucky in a sense since apparently you haven't experienced the situations where you know there are times where the normal law enforcement / emergency services process won't work.

hnfong 1y ago

Have you even read my link? > don't have the immense backing of a state They had backing of a foreign state power, in this case Hong Kong (and by implication China) > it would only take a couple of cases to stick for real prison time for these folks The guy just died a mysterious death once the thing was exposed. He must have wished for prison time.

throwawayffffas 1y ago
I did, I just don't think the particulars really much what the politico article discusses. The private security companies in the case in your link are in my opinion incidental. In your link a state actor recruited a bunch of people to do it's dirty work. Typical state sponsored intelligence stuff. The security companies were really a former marine and a couple of former Hong Kong cops. They could have been hired ad hoc. In the politico article it discusses shops run from groups of former intelligence agencies (MI5 and MI6 presumably) running intelligence operations for companies. It's an entire different kind of thing in my opinion. Sure if a van rolls up across your home with a bunch of dudes in it you can't know which case you are dealing with, but either way calling the cops is the right way to go.
- hnfong 1y ago
  From TFA: "In the last year, government ministers and intelligence agencies have warned that foreign states are using the industry to “carry out their dirty work” in the U.K. — sometimes through the surveillance and harassment of dissidents that have fled to Britain as a safe haven." I guess the article discusses other things too, but even if your argument makes sense here, it doesn't negate the fact that once powerful foreign entities are involved, ones that have enough resources and motivation to hire ex-spies to do dirty work, calling the police can lead to disastrous outcomes. I guess you're lucky in a sense since apparently you haven't experienced the situations where you know there are times where the normal law enforcement / emergency services process won't work.