The Maxwell Institute Mole

[phaedrus ut]

I'm curious, was the individual(s) feeding info to Scratch and others ever discovered? Was their behavior motivated by opposition to the church, opposition to aggressive apologetics, or was it a institutional power grab?

Phaedrus

[Daniel Peterson]

Not definitively, but I suspect that I know who it was. And I'm not sure whether the leaks were entirely deliberate. That is to say that I'm not sure that the person intended them to go up on a message board. Nor do I believe that they went directly to my Malevolent Stalker.

I don't think that the motivation was opposition to the Church. (I hope it doesn't go that deep.) I believe that it was a combination of opposition to apologetics (perhaps of all stripes) and institutional power grab.

That said: Far and away most of what my Malevolent Stalker has said over the years about the internal workings of the Maxwell institute (e.g., budget figures, dealings with the Brethren, and so forth) has been not only wrong but ludicrously wrong. And that has continued to be true.

About a year before the Purge, though, he came up with something very specific -- to be honest, I don't remember now what it was, something related to a budget matter, I believe -- that was pretty exactly correct. It was information that the Maxwell institute and BYU would definitely not have wanted out there in the public domain. (Nothing earth-shattering, but, still, the kind of data that organizations typically don't publish to the world.) I knew that it had to have come from within a very small circle in the organization.

I raised the issue with the executive director of the Maxwell Institute, but he brushed it off. Over the next year, there were perhaps two other cases of such small but unmistakable leaks. I raised the issue again, pointing out that certain discussions (e.g., of personnel issues, and, under BYU policy, of financial issues) had to be confidential or it would be impossible to speak freely and openly in them, but my concerns were dismissed. And then, just before the Purge, there were several substantial leaks predicting my expulsion from the Institute.

I don't know whether they're continuing still, because, of course, I'm now an outsider with respect to the Maxwell Institute. I have no reliable way of judging whether this or that account of what the new regime is up to is true or not.

[phaedrus ut]

Not definitively, but I suspect that I know who it was. And I'm not sure whether the leaks were entirely deliberate. That is to say that I'm not sure that the person intended them to go up on a message board. Nor do I believe that they went directly to my Malevolent Stalker.

I don't think that the motivation was opposition to the Church. (I hope it doesn't go that deep.) I believe that it was a combination of opposition to apologetics (perhaps of all stripes) and institutional power grab.

I've seen that a lot in the business world. Company founders are pushed aside or removed by the late comers that joined in after all the hard work was done. Many times they don't realize what is happening until it's too late. Then when everything goes to hell in their absence everyone comes begging them to come back.

It'll be curious to watch in the coming years if the MI attempts to engage critics of the church or moves to a more BYU studies type of content.

Phaedrus

[Bill Hamblin]

I've seen that a lot in the business world. Company founders are pushed aside or removed by the late comers that joined in after all the hard work was done. Many times they don't realize what is happening until it's too late. Then when everything goes to hell in their absence everyone comes begging them to come back.

It'll be curious to watch in the coming years if the MI attempts to engage critics of the church or moves to a more BYU studies type of content.

Phaedrus

Apple. But Jobs had a second coming. Will Dan?

[CASteinman]

Apple. But Jobs had a second coming. Will Dan?

"I say unto thee, my son, that the plan of restoration is requisite with the justice of God; for it is requisite that all things should be restored to their proper order."

[Scott Lloyd]

Not definitively, but I suspect that I know who it was. And I'm not sure whether the leaks were entirely deliberate. That is to say that I'm not sure that the person intended them to go up on a message board. Nor do I believe that they went directly to my Malevolent Stalker.

I don't think that the motivation was opposition to the Church. (I hope it doesn't go that deep.) I believe that it was a combination of opposition to apologetics (perhaps of all stripes) and institutional power grab.

That said: Far and away most of what my Malevolent Stalker has said over the years about the internal workings of the Maxwell institute (e.g., budget figures, dealings with the Brethren, and so forth) has been not only wrong but ludicrously wrong. And that has continued to be true.

About a year before the Purge, though, he came up with something very specific -- to be honest, I don't remember now what it was, something related to a budget matter, I believe -- that was pretty exactly correct. It was information that the Maxwell institute and BYU would definitely not have wanted out there in the public domain. (Nothing earth-shattering, but, still, the kind of data that organizations typically don't publish to the world.) I knew that it had to have come from within a very small circle in the organization.

I raised the issue with the executive director of the Maxwell Institute, but he brushed it off. Over the next year, there were perhaps two other cases of such small but unmistakable leaks. I raised the issue again, pointing out that certain discussions (e.g., of personnel issues, and, under BYU policy, of financial issues) had to be confidential or it would be impossible to speak freely and openly in them, but my concerns were dismissed. And then, just before the Purge, there were several substantial leaks predicting my expulsion from the Institute.

I don't know whether they're continuing still, because, of course, I'm now an outsider with respect to the Maxwell Institute. I have no reliable way of judging whether this or that account of what the new regime is up to is true or not.

In one of his two recently released essays, Greg Smith wrote that his dismissal from the Maxwell Institute was sent via postal mail because of the lack of security with email. I take it from this that the executive director eventually gained a bit more wisdom and became less cavalier about dealing with confidential matters.

Edited March 21, 2013 by Scott Lloyd

[Darren10]

"I say unto thee, my son, that the plan of restoration is requisite with the justice of God; for it is requisite that all things should be restored to their proper order."

[wenglund]

Whatever the direction that MI may take, may I suggest Terminex Mole Removal Cream.

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

[phaedrus ut]

Apple. But Jobs had a second coming. Will Dan?

That might be the wrong term to use when speaking about Steve Jobs these days.

[blackstrap]

When the boss dismisses a security leak ,that speaks volumes about who is drilling the holes.

[wenglund]

That might be the wrong term to use when speaking about Steve Jobs these days.

That deserves a smile.

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

[CASteinman]

When the boss dismisses a security leak ,that speaks volumes about who is drilling the holes.

I think you mean dismiss as in ignore rather than dismiss as in fire. Did I get that right? Because at first I was confused.

[HairBear]

Take Jasper Carrott's advice on getting rid of a mole - [media=]

[ERayR]

Whatever the direction that MI may take, may I suggest Terminex Mole Removal Cream.

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

The hard part is getting the little rascals out of the ground so that you can rub the cream on them.