In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information • Hacker News Board

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#121

Post by apetresc » Fri, Apr 13, 2018, 9:18 PM UTC

sugarpile wrote: post #103

foobaw wrote: post #36

This highly contrasts Netflix, which barely has any leaks, although discloses almost all their information to employees. Is it Apple's company size and culture that make leaks inevitable?

There are about five comments saying there is nothing Netflix employees can leak that people care about. You’re all thinking too tech centric. Nielsen, studios, and the press would love to get their hands on Netflix’s viewer numbers and associated demographic data for a given show or movie.

Sure, but how would we know if those did get leaked? I'm sure it happens all the time. We just know about consumer-product leaks because they're being leaked to us, the public.

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#122

Post by forapurpose » Fri, Apr 13, 2018, 9:22 PM UTC

> The crackdown is part of broader and long-running attempts by Silicon Valley technology companies to track and limit what information their employees share publicly

The contrast between the aggressive privacy of companies (and government) and the non-existent privacy of individuals is shocking. Apple claims to have people arrested for violating its privacy; practically, I have no power - they can take almost whatever they want and do whatever they want with it, and there's nothing I can do.

In fact, the complete lack of privacy by individuals may the means by which companies find who released the information.

Finally, these moves are counter to an open society. In an open society, it's the powerful people and public institutions who need to be transparent - they are the threats to democracy and liberty - not the everyday private citizens.

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#123

Post by justherefortart » Fri, Apr 13, 2018, 9:25 PM UTC

bllguo wrote: post #115

bondolo wrote: post #92

Martin Minow liked to tell the story of the time he got a call from Steve Jobs right after Steve's return to Apple. Martin was working on Copeland which hadn't been cancelled yet. Steve called out the blue one afternoon and said "Hi Martin, this is Steve." Martin had worked with Steve in his early days at Apple before Steve's departure. "Hi Steve." "Look, we know you've been sending emails to Henry Norr who works at…

hmm, the first result in google for "martin minnow apple" that contains all those keywords is your comment

Things were different in the 1990s, not everything was on the internet.

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#124

Post by John_KZ » Fri, Apr 13, 2018, 9:26 PM UTC

sidlls wrote: post #98

jadedhacker wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm a little skeptical. The intelligence services would say something that would make you skeptical of the motivations of leakers. If they're selfishly motivated the public doesn't mind them being locked up and put into isolation and tortured in ways that don't leave a mark. The leakers that come to mind immediately are Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning whom both suffered greatly for their leaks (Snowden had to leav…

Ego and narcissism are perhaps the most common and strong traits in leakers and betrayers of confidence. Financial motives and motivations to avoid scandal pale in comparison. So much so that I find it laughable clearance investigations focus on the latter at all.

So if a man that sacrifices his life and career for the common good is an egoist and narcissist, what does an altruistic and giving person looks like? Like a corporate drone? Like a conspirator in an effort to control the minds of all free citizens?

The strongest common trait in leakers is belief. They believe in something. They aren't willing to sit back and witness some people damage society as a whole.

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#125

Post by newman8r » Fri, Apr 13, 2018, 9:27 PM UTC

bllguo wrote: post #115

bondolo wrote: post #92

Martin Minow liked to tell the story of the time he got a call from Steve Jobs right after Steve's return to Apple. Martin was working on Copeland which hadn't been cancelled yet. Steve called out the blue one afternoon and said "Hi Martin, this is Steve." Martin had worked with Steve in his early days at Apple before Steve's departure. "Hi Steve." "Look, we know you've been sending emails to Henry Norr who works at…

hmm, the first result in google for "martin minnow apple" that contains all those keywords is your comment

Yeah I can't find anything either, good fact-checking. Hopefully just a misspelled name.

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#126

Post by rdlecler1 » Fri, Apr 13, 2018, 9:27 PM UTC

jadedhacker wrote: post #37

yodon wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I’ve never understood what the employee gets out of it The intelligence services have done a great deal of research into the persona of the press leaker/Wikileaks leaker (as distinct from the more traditional espionage leaker). A common trait is for the press leaker to be either highly over-qualified for their job or believe themselves to be over-qualified for their job. The belief coming out of that research is a s…

I'm a little skeptical. The intelligence services would say something that would make you skeptical of the motivations of leakers. If they're selfishly motivated the public doesn't mind them being locked up and put into isolation and tortured in ways that don't leave a mark. The leakers that come to mind immediately are Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning whom both suffered greatly for their leaks (Snowden had to leav…

I’d put Snowden in a different camp because he fell on the sword. Would Manning have leave if she thought she would be caught?

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#127

Post by justherefortart » Fri, Apr 13, 2018, 9:28 PM UTC

forapurpose wrote: post #122

> The crackdown is part of broader and long-running attempts by Silicon Valley technology companies to track and limit what information their employees share publicly The contrast between the aggressive privacy of companies (and government) and the non-existent privacy of individuals is shocking. Apple claims to have people arrested for violating its privacy; practically, I have no power - they can take almost whatev…

We need to elect people that write laws that will protect the public.

Although, seeing how well that's worked out for labor, I'm not holding my breath.

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#128

Post by greedo » Fri, Apr 13, 2018, 9:31 PM UTC

alexandercrohde wrote: post #114

greedo wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you think the motives of whistleblowers are as pure as the driven snow, we'll just have to agree to disagree. #2 covers their actions, but not all whistleblowers are related to Mother Teresa.

You're making a strawman argument. I'm not arguing "all whistleblowers are good people," I'm citing the definition of whisteblowing is "a person who informs on a person or organization engaged in an illicit activity." Reporting a CEO embezzling is whistleblowing. Announcing apple is working on a new gizmo is not. Don't conflate them.

You're conflating leakers and gossipers as bad. If they're operating under #2 in my list, their motives wouldn't be considered bad, though perhaps misguided.

I think your definition is of a whistleblower is too narrow, and I prefer the fuller definition from wikipedia:

"A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower)[1] is a person who exposes any kind of information or activity that is deemed illegal, unethical, or not correct within an organization that is either private or public."

"not correct within an organization" clearly applies to the #2 in my list.

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#129

Post by bondolo » Fri, Apr 13, 2018, 9:34 PM UTC

newman8r wrote: post #125

bllguo wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

hmm, the first result in google for "martin minnow apple" that contains all those keywords is your comment

Yeah I can't find anything either, good fact-checking. Hopefully just a misspelled name.

Spellcheck had indeed "corrected" the spelling of his last name from "Minow" to "Minnow". Now fixed.

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#130

Post by mwfunk » Fri, Apr 13, 2018, 9:36 PM UTC

guelo wrote: post #59

cabaalis wrote: post #27

I am interested in what criminal activity warrants an arrest for leaking company information. Seems like it would be a civil issue?

Cupertino is a company town, their police department does what Apple tells them to.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and hypothesize that the local police force doesn't investigate many felonies, regardless of who reports them. Just a theory. :)