# Alleged Chinese/Russian “Honeypots” aimed at American tech **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 25, 2025, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272 "2025-10-25T11:47:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/21 "2025-10-25T16:15:26Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You think that all of these honeypot agents freely chose this line of work as adults without duress? I have no idea what the percentage of volunteers are but agents choose to risk their literal life so I am sure there are plenty willing to put out for the cause. Millions of people voluntarily do all sorts of sex work. Whatever it is, we certainly do the same thing in the field. ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/22 "2025-10-25T16:29:24Z")
There is the case of Maria Butina. I remember reading at the time that part of the evidence introduced at her trial were messages that she exchanged with her controllers in Moscow in which she said that she was willing to do many things for the cause, but requiring her to sleep with Republicans was just too much. > **[Maria Butina](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Butina)** > > Maria Valerievna Butina\[a\] (Russian: Мари́я Вале́рьевна Бу́тина; born 10 November 1988) is a Russian politician, political activist, journalist, and former entrepreneur who was convicted in 2018 of acting as an unregistered foreign agent of Russia within the United States. > Butina worked as an assistant for Aleksandr Torshin, a former member of the Federation Council, member of Vladimir Putin's United Russia party, and deputy governor of the Central Bank of Russia. In this role, she tried to in... ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/23 "2025-10-25T16:33:51Z")
That’s hilarious but in skimming the linked article she did have an intimate relationship with at least two prominent Trump associates. At least that’s what the prosecution alleged. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/24 "2025-10-25T16:37:06Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > 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. Inadvertently, my ass. Silicon Valley has become populated with utterly amoral materialists steeped in resentment over the fact that 8-figure net worth doesn’t make them dateable. Most of them will sell out anyone and anything for a hot girlfriend who at least seems authentic, even if she looks authentically like a foreign agent. > [@Chronos](#): > > You think that all of these honeypot agents freely chose this line of work as adults without duress? Nobody can know the motives of 100% of a diverse population, and it’s likely some of them are under duress. But that type of agent necessarily has a lot of autonomy and freedom of movement, so if the role is that objectionable, they can always defect to the party that they’re spying on. Most likely they’re just being paid extremely well. Many of them were already some type of sex worker anyway, and state or corporate actors pay a lot better than being a freelancer. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/25 "2025-10-25T16:40:46Z")
Good point. Times have changed. Tech bros didn’t really exist in significant numbers in those days. My experience is 1990-2003 in those matters. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/26 "2025-10-25T16:56:49Z")
I would like to point out that although I have been retired from the space race for 20 years I still have a good memory in case there are any middle aged/mature Chinese spies near me. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/27 "2025-10-25T17:21:36Z")
damn, just imagine you are that guy and now everytime somebody (e.g. your grandkids) googles you, THAT “russian embassy” story comes up top of the page … kindalike the NY guy they cought (during the covid-zoom-novelty-period) masturbating at a zoom-business-meeting while erroniously leaving the camera on … this made worldwide news, IIRC ---
**Author:** ![Tatterdemalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/43a26b/32.png) [@Tatterdemalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tatterdemalion)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/28 "2025-10-25T18:17:30Z")
She did it, she was just (allegedly) disgusted by the experience. I feel somewhat sorry for her that her job required her to sleep with a Republican lobbyist. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2025, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/29 "2025-10-25T19:27:21Z")
> [@glee](#): > > The event was held in Hungary (who were in the Soviet Union at the time.) Whoa, Hungary was in the Soviet Union? 🙂 I know all those tanks were there, but, still… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2025, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/30 "2025-10-26T18:58:04Z")
It was my understanding that agents of this sort were generally groomed from childhood for the role. Though I’ll admit that that might just be salacious fiction. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2025, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/31 "2025-10-26T19:11:49Z")
Yeah I watched The Americans too. I think that’s pretty unlikely ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2025, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/32 "2025-10-26T22:43:47Z")
Not in the Soviet Union proper, but definitely part of the Communist bloc. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2025, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272/33 "2025-10-26T23:05:31Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Yeah I watched The Americans too. Too recent. Back in the TV Movie of the Week era (1985), we had [Secret Weapons](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089983/) starring a young Linda Hamilton as a simple Soviet girl thrust into the world of sexy, sexy espionage including a stint at Moscow Sex School. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alleged-chinese-russian-honeypots-aimed-at-american-tech/1024272.md?page=1)