I don't think there's any way it could have failed. We don't know failure in this band. We didn't know failure. We got to know it a little after awhile but at that time there was no such word.
And the user may have a higher comfort level deciding what information to provide rather than worrying about what inferences might be made from what they've gathered.
In nine times out of ten, the slanderous tongue belongs to a disappointed person.