I respectfully disagree. The market exists for these criminals with or without the rumor sites.
Let’s say MR took your position. Not only did they not report on the leak, but even tried to police the forums to erase any mention of it. What would change? Would this group and future hackers go “no point in stealing confidential information ever again, there’s just no market for it!” No way. Even if all the Apple sites banded together to do the same, it would barely make a dent.
So long as anyone has information they want to keep private, there will be an incentive for someone to try and steal that information and use the threat of sharing it as a means of ransom. It’s shameful, but human nature and by no way novel to the internet.
I could agree that MR should probably do a bit more to preface the reporting they do that’s a result of known illegal acts. Maybe even have the article collapsed by default with a vague headline that makes the illegal nature clear. Sadly, that might even drive higher clicks. But it would allow those among us that don’t wish to play any part whatsoever in the hackers efforts to easily skip it. That does present complications though: do they ever reference the information learned in any other article? Where do they draw the line regarding the legality of their rumor sources?
Anyway, clearly it’s a complex subject. I appreciate hearing your views on it.
