In ethically dubious scenarios, you risk damaging your reputation and your job security. Your boss may not appreciate your voicing your opinion, or may not agree with it, and could choose to take disciplinary action against you. Additionally, if you accept an ethically dubious task, you could be held accountable for any illegal or unethical activities that result.
I found the piece on how to speak up to be very enlightening. I’d follow up after the 3rd step with practicing speaking up in the situation. For example, I’d start small by speaking to myself in the mirror to be prepared for the moment.
However I believe that eventually by taking on more challenging scenarios, such as what the intern had to go through, one becomes more comfortable to be present in difficult situations. I’d reflect on those experiences to know what success will look like and will try to ask for feedback at the end to get a feeling for how it looks like from the outside.
