Isn't this just another definition of the original principle. People rise to the level where their noise is just enough to not worry the people promoting them i.e. the lesser their noise is the more they will be promoted. What you are offering seems like an explanation rather than a new observation.
> "This sounds kind of naïve. It's not because of data related policies that these haven't happened."
Maybe they are not talking about data related policies but more about policies that could foster local development. Agree with your other points.
1. It is possible to punish a person for his crimes in a justifiable manner.
2. People are somehow deterred by punishment when the option of winning via cheating is available to them.
It's very hard to argue that 1 is possible considering the ethical dilemmas that it exposes e.g. would capital punishment be a justifiable punishment for a murderer?
If 2 were true, then there wouldn't be doping scandals in sports, would there?
Ever since I saw my parents' initial skepticism to the use of handheld devices (smartphones, tablets etc.) I have always wondered what such a mental block for my generation might be like. It could very well be an invention such as this that is considered speculative today which might become viable overnight. My kid may someday wonder why his dad doesn't understand basic quantum phenomena.