Yeah, if any of my friends in my field or colleagues ask me what I'm making, I have no problems telling them to help with this system disadvantage.

We should normalize being OK with telling our colleagues what we make. Our HR dept. might tell us it is private, but that's only to help the employer keep the information edge in negotiations.

> Our HR dept. might tell us it is private

And a hefty fine for doing just that was the best I could come up with. Glad someone else had a better idea that works in a less confrontational way. When I ask a prospective employer for a range and they don't simply answer frankly, I know to walk away before landing myself in a toxic environment. Of course, that assumes the privilege of being able to walk away...

It has been my experience that people from some countries share compensation info with their peers from the same country, and people from some other countries don’t share it at all. And some are in the middle: tell friends, don’t tell coworkers.

Seems like the first set of countries should have a negotiating advantage. Not sure if it does but it ought to.

So, I think that norm already exists, but not among all groups.