information leaks

[bornshooter]

i just started this topic as i was curious if a massive company like canon are putting there new cameras in production how do they keep it so secret surly we should be getting info on sensors or if new cameras are actually in production it must be hard keeping all those employees mouths shut how do they do it?

 

[BK]

I think there are a few things at work.

I worked for a large software company that had a close working relationship with Apple. We received some Apple hardware prior to release (Bondi Blue iMac for example to give you a time frame). We also had access to additional machines for testing by traveling to Cupertino. When I started working for the company I had to sign a general NDA. In addition anybody in our company that had access to the machines had to sign an NDA specific to the hardware.

The NDAs were very explicit about not sharing info with anybody outside of our company. It never would have crossed my mind to directly contact a rumor site or try to relay info to them through a third party. I'm a professional and it's just not ethical behavior. In addition, the legal ramifications and loss of job would never have been worth the risk.

I was never tempted to tell friends or relatives about the things I had seen either, but I could potentially see this being a more realistic scenario in some cases. I think this may be the source of a lot of the information seen be canonrumors or macrumors for instance. An employee might mention something in passing to his wife who might mention it to somebody else and so on.

If you've ever played the game "telephone" you know how a message can become distorted. I think this explains some of the conflicting rumors you might see on the rumors sites. Nobody directly related to the project will send an e-mail off to a rumor site.

Companies are very good about compartmentalizing these projects as well. As an employee you only know about a project if it's necessary to do your job. If I see a rumor about a sales rep who told a store in Poland about something that's six months away then I'm pretty sure it's invalid. The sales rep never would have known the info to begin with.

The last things in Canon's case are distance, cultural and language differences. There are a ton of people in the US that personally know or have access to engineers at places like Apple or Adobe. I would bet that the number (in the US at least) is a lot smaller for Canon or Nikon. Sales reps & support maybe, but nobody core to development.

 

[philHolland]

Yep. NDAs are industry standard across technology and entertainment fields. They have become part of my life. While sometimes frustrating, it's best to keep tight lips if you want to continue working in the industry. I have yet to meet a professional who has broken one, but you always hear stories here and there that are down right scary.

 

[Eagle Eye]

Meh, NDAs. It's just a matter of time until Canon Rumors establishes some well-placed snitches. NDAs require evidence to enforce. Under US law, Canonrumors would be immune from subpoena due to first amendment protection for the press. Pretty difficult for Canon to make a case against an individual, particularly if information has been disseminated to hundreds of people. Canonrumors is a relatively young site. I would surmise that over the next few years, rumors will become increasingly more reliable, particularly as individuals who claim to be well-placed or well-informed are vetted and corroborated.

Let me be clear, I'm not recommending violating an NDA, I'm just saying that Canon would likely be unable to take action under the UTSA.