FDA spied extensively on its scientists’ private emails

[babsbunny]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/07/14/report-fda-spied-extensively-on-its-scientists-private-emails/

By Jonathan Terbush
Saturday, July 14, 2012 21:17 EDT

The Food and Drug Administration carried out a broad spying operation on some of its own scientists’ private emails, creating something akin to an enemies list of employees who had complained to Congress, journalists and others, according to documents uncovered by the New York Times.

According to the Times, the agency began the clandestine surveillance operation in an attempt to find the source of leaks of confidential information from the agency. Yet what began as a probe into a handful of scientists quickly grew into a wider investigation that snared thousands of emails between those outside parties who, the agency feared, were collaborating with staffers to smear the FDA.

[PDJane]

1. Paranoid, much?

Good Lord, people. Because you think someone might be removing the layers of secrecy, you spy on their emails?? Confidential information? Please tell me what, in the Food and Drug administration should be 'confidential?' The whole process and all that concerns it should be open in the first damn place!

[Lionessa]

2. If they were doing it to find who was in pharma's pocket, I would feel very differently about this.

K n R

[girl gone mad]

3. Our entire federal government is rotten to the core.

If only the FDA spent as much time analyzing submissions from drug companies as they do spying on their own whistle blowing scientists, maybe we would have fewer recalls and safer drugs.