Seems to me to be just a modern example of cliques and old-boys networks and discriminatory practices. Alan Turing pretty much suffered the same sort of scrutiny and consequences for his personal contacts as the article suggests.

In general our connections may be primarily via the Internet but I think banding together for self-perpetuation has been around for about as long as primates have.

Still, good for when you're bored of reading The Onion. :)