When I saw what she was being asked to do it did not strike me as unexpected, I have seen companies and people doing this before: misrepresenting who they are or only partially sharing information. These are shady business tactics, but they are not surprising to me. When pushing back you are risking your job security, as if you are perceived as difficult to work with you may be given less work and no return offer. However, most reasonable people should see other people’s ethical boundaries and respect them, and I do not think that simply voicing discomfort should automatically be seen as a bad sign. In an ideal workplace, pushing back on ethically dubious tasks would be interpreted as a sign of integrity and long-term thinking, not as a lack of “team spirit.” I would definitely start by taking 1-on-1 with Mr. Moon, and go from there.
I think it is very true that you also risk long-term damage to your professional reputation if that behavior comes to light, in addition to your educational career damage. Everyone will now that you are willing to cross the line, given the correct circumstances. I would imagine that in extreme cases, there can even be legal or regulatory consequences, depending on the misrepresentation. I would certainly not sign any kind of NDA with other companies to figure information out.
I would certainly push back and say I am not comfortable doing that.
