To me it all depends on how it is done.

The fact is, is that the espionage side of gaming is accepted by the pvp community at large as a legitimate tactic.

Propoganda, and forum warrioring is pretty standard as well to effect the enemies morale/etc. We might not participate in it a lot, but refusing to associate with those who do would not make sense.

Also, Hyperion Kingdom, the targets of said espionage are a massive zerg of thousands of people, and they also employ the same tactics.

MAKE NO MISTAKE - WE DID NOT ALLY WITH GOON BECAUSE WE ARE AFRAID OF GOON.

We allied with Goon, because after talking and visiting with them as well as many others, they share a similar agenda of politics and warfare, and are well organized and led here in darkfall.

If I made alliances because I was afraid of getting zerged by someone, we would be part of Hyperion right now.

Hyperion is the largest zerg ever seen in a game other than Eve , is comprised mostly of forum guilds, uses the same tactics of espionage, and even sends agents to other guilds to talk up Hyperion and sow discord within the ranks of opposing guilds.

This type of tactic is not griefing, its warfare. I will condemn espionage against Hyperion as soon as Hyperion stops bringing 500 people to a 4am EST siege against guilds a fraction of their size.

For who could be free when every other man's humour might domineer over him? - John Locke (2nd Treatise, sect 57)