I think doing this type of work, causing possible disruption in another countries infrastructure during peace time is ethically problematic. Much more problematic that the ethically dubious things alleged on FB and Google. I hope there is some outcry against doing this type of work.
It's a tit-for-tat response... until some treaty is signed which forbids it and then there is follow through from Russia. US plays hard ball if the other side is not playing fairly. You can hardly blame them.
The irony of mentioning treaties too. That's some next level true believer stuff.
Would love to have a chat about:
* Chemical weapons convention
* Mine ban treaty
* Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
* Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
* Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
* Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention
* Kyoto Protocol
* Reneging on the Iran deal and then forcing Europe to do the same despite US intel chiefs saying Iran they held up their end of the bargain.
* The half dozen worldwide commitments Trump has pulled out of in the last year, there's too many to count.
American foreign intel agencies have far more funding and skills than the next 10 largest countries combined. They do not play fair nor do they have to. Anyone claiming otherwise likely doesn't know much about it or wilfully ignores it out of nationalism.