Let's keep this between you and me, all right?

When we were discussing the Harvard “pron-dean” we covered a lot of issues, but one thing we”ve covered just too briefly. It is an issue of “confidential information” (as apposed to “personal life”). We talked about the professor, the technician, and even the reporter, but didn’t talk much about how the reporter got such information in the first place. First the reporter was somehow tipped off (by someone from the inside?) and then he got sufficient information to write the article (from someone from the inside!).

Similar actions are called “insider trading” in the exchange and investment field and are considered to be “illegal conduct”. Analogously, UK adopted Official Secrets Act that every “member of the security and intelligence services” (i.e. police officer) has to sign. To protect themselves some choose to make their employees and partners sign a nondisclosure agreement. All three methods (certainly there are many more) are used to bring this “unethical behavior” to the level of “illegal behavior”. Apparently Harvard school doesn’t have any of such processes in place or were unable to find the person behind the “insider trading”.

Certainly, as with any other unethical actions, this one has various levels. One can tip off the police or the other way around, and tip off a criminal. No matter whether you signed some kind of an agreement or not, you are bound by the “nondisclosure ethics” and when you reveal personal information you are behaving unethically.