What I have constantly found confusing is the conflation of related but separate issues here:<p>1) The general morality of secret services and undercover work, whether or not it is related to known crime or suspected crimes
2) The morality of an undercover officer doing "whatever it takes" to get into an inner circle, although it is not clear whether the sex was done for business or personal reasons (whether or not that matters)
3) The disruption of a higher level "right" to political dissent etc. without undue interference from authorities
4) Whether there was a lack of supervision and what the effect of this was (was it just poor management of an important job or a more causual effect?)<p>How much of this is illegal and how much is just sad is not clear and the issues need considering separately, otherwise it sounds like somebody getting hurt by a dishonest person when it is potentially much more critical than that.
Just a note for people getting sidetracked.<p>The title is "A Married Undercover Cop Having Sex with Activists Killed a Climate Movement" with the key article being "A" not "The". There are multiple climate movements going on with differing goals.
These kinds of things seem so far-fetched, but they're happening.<p>That's why I think the stigma around conspiracy theories is harmful. It makes people believe that this kind of thing couldn't possibly happen to them... And if it does happen and they find out, they will doubt their own judgment as they'll be afraid that other people will think they're nuts for thinking that 'agents are out of get me'.<p>I suspect that most wealthy individuals and politicians are surrounded with foreign spies and organized manipulators.<p>It must be difficult being in a position of power. How do they tell fact from paranoia?
Interesting story, but what is "killing" the climate movement is not one undercover cop but the unwillingness of consumers (including me) to give up hydrocarbons.<p>A man pretending to be progressive to sleep with progressive women is not a new thing.
really hardcore activist groups these days tend to be full-lifestyle cliques. you can't fake hormones or diy face tats, and it's hard to maintain any charade three tabs deep.<p>this has the benefit of isolating these groups, but it also has the detriment of isolating these groups. you can do almost anything when you know wider society has no place for you, but you have a chosen family with a shared purpose and intention.