Until last week, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had been remaking its image as a transparent organization that was supportive of its scientists, even when they spoke out against its decisions. Now the agency is on the defensive, after the exposure of a clandestine computer-surveillance operation that tracked every keystroke made by five dissident FDA scientists whom it suspected of leaking confidential internal data to the press. The revelation may damage employees' trust in the FDA, and erode their willingness to challenge the decisions of their bosses, say expert observers.
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