If this is really happening and these sources are legit, it sounds both slightly hilarious and disquieting. I’m not surprised that the US isn’t as advanced in this type of “sexy”espionage (sending in someone to seduce the opposition) -not from any ability, but just different approaches to spying and economic sneakiness. I’m sure we’ve used similar tactics.
In other words, we’re not as tolerant of sex slavery.
This isn’t sex slavery. It’s agents using a technique that we certainly do as well but for cultural reasons it’s more effective on our tech nerds.
Once again, the fictional series Slow Horses is ahead of the curve.
isn’t that the plot for what feels like 80% of all 007 movies? I mean: where is the news in that …
I was a manufacturing engineer and spent a lot of time in Asia in the 90s, particularly Malaysia, Taiwan and Korea. I never worked in government contracting but I did work with cutting edge commercial tech and my companies had factories there. A lot of the male engineers were socially awkward ubernerds who barely dated in college. Particularly in Malaysia and Korea they were considered hot and desirable for the first time and it got to their heads. I could see how they’d give up secrets inadvertently while in the depths of infatuation.
This is a standard technique, well known by spy agencies all over the world.
Forty years ago, the US Embassy in Moscow was disasterously infiltrated (renember the cold war ?) when one Marine guard started having sex with a female employee who was actually a KGB agent.
I remember reading that when on duty at night, she convinced him to turn off the electronic alarms for the whole building every time they had sex .
The only surprising thing to me is they managed to convince some silicon valley software engineers to actually get married 
They must very skilled agents, based on my social group in the bay area getting them to change their Facebook relationship status to “in a relationship” is too much commitment.
Indeed it isn’t new. When I was a newly minted engineer in the 80s I would jokingly say “send your Russian sexpots my way. Send your best. I’ll never crack!”
And I wouldn’t have. (I was raised to be paranoid.) Alas, the Russians were too savvy. No soviet-era nookie for me.
I’ve been reading/watching spy stories both fictional and non fictional and this is bread and butter espionage. Not sure why this is any kind of healing.
Even Battlestar Galactica (2004) had a running theme of seduction espionage.
I seem to recall reading that the idea of a “honeypot trap” came from John LeCarre’s novels. Or perhaps he just coined the phrase?
Is this a case of life imitating art? Or did the tactic exist prior to LeCarre calling it that?
You can’t possibly think that using sex for coercion is new. It’s as old as humanity.
In the early seventies I was working for British Telecom and they entered a team in the European Telecoms team chess championship.
The event was held in Hungary (who were in the Soviet Union at the time.)
Now there was far less travel abroad in those days, so the chess team (largely consisting of nerds ) were given a briefing:
- act as ambassadors
- be prepared for local cuisine
- keep your documentation handy
Then a security expert took over:
- be aware the Soviets are behind us in computer technology
- so watch out for bribery … and sexual seduction
Sadly nothing happened. 
Here’s a very famous example from WWI
It’s even a well-known Bible story. From the AI summary:
Judith is the central figure in the Book of Judith, a heroic, pious, and wealthy widow who saves her people from the Assyrian army by beheading their general, Holofernes
. Her story is celebrated in the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Anglican traditions, although it is excluded from Protestant Bibles and viewed as an allegory or a book of edification by some. Judith’s character is defined by her faith, cunning, and courage, and she is seen as a symbol of God’s power working through a woman to overcome overwhelming odds.
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The character: Judith is portrayed as a beautiful, virtuous, and wealthy widow who devoutly fears God. She lives a life of fasting and prayer after her husband’s death. Her name is translated as “Jewess” or “Jewish woman”.
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The story: When the Assyrian army, led by Holofernes, threatens to conquer Israel, the leaders of her town, Bethulia, are on the verge of surrendering. Judith confronts them, inspiring them to hold out for a few more days, and devises a plan to save them. She uses her beauty and cunning to gain access to Holofernes, who becomes intoxicated at a banquet. At the height of his drunkenness, she beheads him with his own sword and escapes with his head.
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The aftermath: The discovery of Holofernes’s severed head throws the Assyrian army into disarray, and they are routed by the Israelites. Judith’s actions are seen as a victory of faith, courage, and divine intervention over military might.
Yeah along with a bunch of other terms that you’d think are actual intelligence terms, he invented it for his books, and it’s now actually used by intelligence agencies.
The concept has existed for as long as his human beings have been trying to find out information about the next city over.
While we’re at it the term he used in his novels was “honey trap”.
Q: How can you tell if you’re speaking with an extroverted engineer?
A: They’re looking at your shoes instead of their own.
The “Yellow Rose of Texas” was reputedly a mixed race woman whose dalliance with Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was the distraction that allowed the Texan Army to surprise the Mexican army at San Jacinto and win a very lopsided victory.
You think that all of these honeypot agents freely chose this line of work as adults without duress?
I think that Delilah and Sampson might slightly predate LeCarre.