The system was created with the unspoken option to enforce this activity. It will never change. The SEC 'rules' against naked shorting are fake rules that are rarely applied unless there is a reason for the SEC to be driven to prosecute the violating entity for outrageous behavior. It's like telling people they cannot go over the speed limit on our roads. Or the rule that one cannot text while driving. People do it all the time. I have never texted personally but the freeways are full of those weaving back and forth in their lane, going slower than the traffic flow to 'stay safe'. We see them attached to their steering wheel. It's a whole industry built on breaking the law. The only time one usually gets caught is when they get in or create an accident.