Recently, a TSMC engineer leaked confidential documents regarding the 2nm process to a criminal accomplice, who is also a former TSMC engineer, while secretly filming at Starbucks, causing shock and concern in the industry. Not long ago, top student Lin Rui-shang from National Taiwan University was arrested by the FBI for drug trafficking on the dark web, which also caused an uproar in Taiwanese society. Although these two cases occurred at different times and involved different criminal activities, society should deeply understand the motivations behind high-educated, high-income elites engaging in high-risk criminal behaviors to prevent similar crimes in the future, which could lead to losses for the nation and society. This article is not a professional psychological analysis but rather a commentary on social issues. The TSMC corporate espionage case is still under judicial investigation, and many doubts remain to be clarified; this article does not discuss the case details.
Brief introduction to the TSMC engineer and Lin Rui-shang case
During the work-from-home period, a TSMC engineer used a company laptop to access confidential information and chose to secretly film the 2nm process documents at a Starbucks not far from TSMC while contacting foreign accomplices. His illegal activities in a public place led to his immediate arrest and a swift investigation. This behavior involves corporate espionage and the leak of confidential information, posing a significant threat and social warning to Taiwan and the semiconductor industry.
The Lin Rui-shang dark web drug trafficking case had been ongoing for several years. This excellent student from National Taiwan University set up a drug trafficking platform on the dark web and registered the domain name using his real name and Gmail. He was ultimately arrested after the FBI collected evidence through undercover operations.
Possible motivations for high-educated individuals committing crimes
The psychological factors behind high-salary engineers committing crimes may be more complex and could arise from the following factors.
Burnout and psychological stress: Long-term high-pressure work leads to fatigue and burnout, with individuals seeking psychological comfort or escaping reality through violations.
Power and a sense of control: The engineer feels a sense of superiority from possessing confidential information. He claimed to want to do extraordinary things but underestimated the risk of being caught for his crimes.
Revenge and inner dissatisfaction: Discontent with company policies or colleagues may prompt internal data leaks as a means of retaliation.
Opportunism and thrill-seeking psychology: A preference for risk and excitement, believing they can control the risks, enjoying the thrill of illegal activities.
External temptations and benefit exchanges: Despite high salaries, higher returns or bribes may shake their moral bottom line.
All these behaviors are often accompanied by the psychological concepts of 'overconfidence bias' and 'normalcy bias.'
Overconfidence bias and normalcy bias
Overconfidence bias refers to individuals overestimating their abilities and chances of success while underestimating risks. This bias is particularly evident in the tech field, where many internal confidential leakage cases involve this psychological factor. A Google engineer illegally downloaded sensitive data and stole AI business secrets to deliver to China; he was arrested under surveillance. His error stemmed from believing he could evade monitoring, which is a typical reflection of overconfidence bias.
Normalcy bias refers to the tendency of people to ignore danger signals and mistakenly believe that situations will remain normal, leading to an inadequate response to threats. Offenders often hold a sense of luck because of this.
Even with a high level of education, Lin Rui-shang may have turned to illegal activities due to overconfidence and distorted values. He registered a dark web domain with his real name, showing a serious underestimation of legal risks, reflecting cognitive biases and a need for thrill-seeking. The TSMC engineer used a company-issued laptop to log into the company's internal network during the work-from-home period, opened confidential documents, and then took photos of the process secrets with his phone in a public place like Starbucks, ignoring the high likelihood of being recorded by surveillance cameras. This behavior reflects overconfidence and normalcy bias, as such individuals often believe they are exceptionally intelligent and can evade monitoring and legal sanctions, thinking they are special exceptions who won't get caught, creating the illusion of 'I understand the rules, so I can break the rules.'
Insights for society and the workplace
Such high-IQ crime cases remind companies and society that having high intelligence does not equate to professional ethics and integrity. Mental health, occupational stress management, and value education should not be overlooked. Taiwanese companies have long preferred to hire top graduates from the prestigious universities of National Taiwan University, National Chengchi University, National Tsing Hua University, and National Chiao Tung University. This serious corporate espionage case serves as a wake-up call for these companies. It is time to strengthen workplace ethics education and change hiring practices to effectively reduce the risk of reoccurrence of such crimes.
The TSMC engineer's secret filming case and the Lin Rui-shang dark web drug trafficking case are typical examples of crimes committed by high-IQ individuals. Understanding the psychological motivations of offenders can help society and businesses fundamentally prevent similar incidents from occurring. When workplace pressure, value deviation, and psychological biases intertwine, anyone can make wrong decisions.
In today's fiercely competitive global environment, where information is highly valuable, companies should not only strengthen information security and monitoring mechanisms but also pay attention to employees' mental health, promptly detecting burnout, emotional imbalances, and dissatisfaction, and establishing transparent communication and complaint channels.
Society also needs positive value guidance, encouraging success through legal and honest means, reducing the excessive worship of 'quick wealth' and 'shortcuts.' Only with workplace mental health and a sound social atmosphere can we fundamentally reduce the risk of high-IQ, high-skilled individuals turning to crime.
This article is authorized for reprint from: (Chain News)
Original title: (TSMC Engineer Secretly Films National-Level Secrets, What Could Be the Psychological Motivations Behind High-Educated Criminals?)
Original author: DW
The article titled 'TSMC Engineer Secretly Films National-Level Secrets! What Are the Psychological Motivations Behind High-Educated Criminals?' was first published in 'Encrypted City'
