NYT: FDA spied on workers using keyloggers

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/us/fda-surveillance-of-scientists-spread-to-outside-critics.html

 

The funniest part is the contractor who put all of it online

 

Agreed. The monitoring while you can question who was in the wrong is nothing new. At least here in America when you are brought into an organization you sign NDAs and other legal binding documents basically stating you will adhere to all policies and agree to the monitoring of your use on corporate or governmental networks. Most networks even give you the legal warning on sign in. I don't see what is surprising about the FDA using this technology?

 

The biggest surprise for me is the fact that people agree to this kind of behaviour...

 

For most of us, it's either accept their terms or you don't have a job. When jobs are scarce, employers can get away with whatever they want. I'm inclined to believe that unemployment is kept high deliberately for this very reason.

As for the FDA, this shows what their true purpose is. It's not to regulate the industry or to keep people safe from bad drugs or dangerous equipment. They exist to serve the drug and medical industry's interest. They're little more than a rubber stamp agency.

 

There's nothing improper about employers securing their equipment, and enforcing terms of employment. There's also nothing improper about whistle-blowers leaking their employers' nefarious behavior. But prudent whistle-blowers take data home before leaking it

 

After all the attention that was directed 2 or 3 years ago at those Securities and Exchange Commission regulators who were found to have been using government-owned computers to view porn (during official work hours, while traveling for work-related business, and during off-hours), why wouldn't the scientists have expected that their documents and communications might be monitored?