Requiring these credentials seems like a perfectly legitimate way to protect this information. Later in the article it mentions other reasons that were more likely to have contributed to the decision that they made.
> Saying it emerges from neural activity doesn't explain the mechanism; it's merely the result of something we don't understand.
You make an interesting point, however I think the case could be made that consciousness emerging from neural activity could be the result of emergence.
Requiring these credentials seems like a perfectly legitimate way to protect this information. Later in the article it mentions other reasons that were more likely to have contributed to the decision that they made.