Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 24 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
General News    H2'ed 11/22/13

Spooky Business: Corporate Espionage Against Nonprofit Organizations- Part 2

By       (Page 8 of 18 pages) Become a premium member to see this article and all articles as one long page.   1 comment, In Series: Spooky Business: Corporate Espionage Against Nonprofit Organizations
Message Gary Ruskin

Sixteen months later, the Guardian reported that three large energy companies hired the private security firm Vericola to infiltrate the climate change activists. [43] The companies conducting the espionage were:

-       E.ON, " one of the world's largest investor-owned power and gas companies. At facilities across Europe, Russia, and North America, our more than 72,000 employees generated approx. EUR132 billion in sales in 2012 ." [44]   It is currently the world's 15th largest company.

-       Scottish Resources Group, "the largest surface mining coal producer in the UK and the country's second largest coal mining company." [45]

-       Scottish Power, a subsidiary of Iberdrola, a global Fortune 500 company and the 39th largest energy company in the world. [46]

According to emails obtained by the Guardian, Vericola's chief executive, Rebecca Todd spied on activists by using " alias email addresses to express an interest in campaigns, subscribing to activist-only mailing lists"in July 2009, Todd said she was an activist"who wanted to make "a positive contribution to the planet'." [47]


Burger King and Diplomatic Tactical Services vs. the Coalition of Immokalee Workers

The Coalition for Immokalee Workers is a community organization that advocates for the interests of low-wage immigrant workers in Florida.   In 2008, CIW was conducting a campaign against Burger King, regarding the company's refusal to provide fair compensation to tomato pickers.

One day, CIW organizer Marc Rodrigues took a call from Cara Schaffer, who claimed she was a student at Broward Community College.   She wanted to volunteer for CIW.   But Rodrigues became suspicious when Schaffer asked about an upcoming conference call.   When Rodrigues googled Schaffer, he found that she owns Diplomatic Tactical Services, " a security and investigative firm that advertises its ability to place "operatives' in the ranks of target groups." [48]  

Burger King has confirmed that it hired Diplomatic Tactical services "for years" and used it to obtain information about CIW's plans, and that "John Chidsey, the chief executive of Burger King, knew about the use of Diplomatic Tactical Services." [49]

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association and others vs. James Love/Knowledge Ecology International

James Love is the Director of Knowledge Ecology International, an organization that works to improve access to essential drugs, to reduce pharmaceutical drug prices worldwide, and to protect consumers in copyright. Love is an award-winning advocate; in 2006, KEI won a MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, and in 2013, Love won a Pioneer Award from the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

On occasion, Love has been the target of corporate spying.

Shortly after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, Love says he received a visit in his offices from a man who said he was recently let go from his job at Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). "He said his job involved monitoring what I was doing, every day." Love said. "He told me that PhRMA had hired a private investigator to investigate us, from the West Coast." Separately, from 2007 to 2008, Love says that PhRMA and some companies in the copyright sector funded efforts to investigate the sources of funding for NGOs working on intellectual property issues, and to press those foundations to end their support of consumer advocacy.

Around 2008 or 2009, General Electric, Microsoft, Pfizer and other firms funded an effort by the National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) to provide intelligence on NGOs working on intellectual property issues. Love says, "They approached someone we knew, with a proposal to provide information on Knowledge Ecology International and other NGOs working on intellectual property issues, as part of a program to counter NGO advocacy efforts on behalf of consumers." Eventually, Love says, the NFTC contracted with the Romulus Global Issues Management, an "international policy consultancy" that advises "several members of the Fortune 100. " [50] The managing partner of Romulus is John Stubbs, whose wife is Victoria A. Espinel, a former Romulus employee. Espinel was U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator (IP czar) for the Obama administration, and is currently the CEO and President of the Business Software Alliance (BSA). [51]


Feld Entertainment vs. PETA, PAWS and other animal protection groups

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has long opposed the exploitation of animals in the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.   In 2002, PETA filed a lawsuit alleging that Kenneth Feld, chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment Inc., had hired Clair E. George, a former CIA deputy director for operations, to surveil and disrupt PETA and other animal rights groups. [52]   Feld Entertainment is the parent company of the circus.   PETA's lawsuit was dismissed in 2006.

According to PETA, Feld's espionage operations were "run on a daily basis by a private eye named Richard Froemming". From 1988 to 1998, Froemming and his several shell entities (with no employees or functions) were paid more than $8.8 million by Feld entities." [53]

The espionage operations succeeded in placing "approximately 16 undercover operatives at PETA, the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), the Elephant Alliance (EA), In Defense of Animals (IDA), and possibly other animal protection groups," according to PETA.   These operatives "illegally recorded conversations in California and obtained highly confidential bank account numbers and bank information from Bank of America, credit card information, personal medical information, confidential internal financial records, and personnel information." [54]

In addition, both Salon and the Washington Post published long articles recounting the elaborate eight-year efforts of Kenneth Feld and Clair George to sidetrack a freelance reporter from writing about animal welfare scandals within the circus. [55]

Next Page  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |  5  |  6  |  7  |  8  |  9  |  10  |  11  |  12  |  13  |  14  |  15  |  16  |  17  |  18

(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).

Rate It | View Ratings

Gary Ruskin Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Gary Ruskin is the   Director of the  Center for Corporate Policy

  @garyruskin
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Spooky Business: Corporate Espionage Against Nonprofit Organizations- Part 1

Spooky Business: Corporate Espionage Against Nonprofit Organizations- Part 3

Spooky Business: Corporate Espionage Against Nonprofit Organizations- Part 2

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend