That stalking thing also happens in personal peer networks

i am not saying it can't happen, but that the smaller the group the easier it is to assess the risk and the consequences. and for that reason i prefer smaller groups.

in austria and germany hiring students for part time sysadmin work is very common. i did those jobs and on the other hand stories from staff stalking that cute student they saw one day do exist.

But bickering about who's trustworthy is pointless

agreed. it all comes down to personal experience and preference.

when there's trustless architectures for those situations already

the problem is that the choice is not made in a vacuum. what good is a system if my friends don't want to use it. for almost my contacts i had to follow the choices of the others. very rarely someone followed my choice. and when they do i have to consider their technical capacity and tolerance to difficulties.