Chuck Darwin<p>🔥The US government-funded a ‘private social network’ which posts personal attacks on pesticide critics 🔥</p><p>In 2017, two United Nations experts called for a treaty to strictly <a href="https://c.im/tags/regulate" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>regulate</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/dangerous" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dangerous</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/pesticides" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>pesticides</span></a>, which they said were a “global human rights concern”, citing scientific research showing pesticides can cause cancers, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and other health problems.</p><p>Publicly, the pesticide industry’s lead trade association dubbed the recommendations “unfounded and sensational assertions”. <br>👉 In private, industry advocates have gone further.👈</p><p>⚠️Derogatory profiles of the two UN experts, Hilal Elver and Baskut Tuncak, are hosted on an online private portal for pesticide company employees and a range of influential allies.</p><p>Members can access a wide range of <a href="https://c.im/tags/personal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>personal</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/information" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>information</span></a> about hundreds of individuals from around the world deemed a threat to industry interests, <br>including the US food writers Michael <a href="https://c.im/tags/Pollan" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Pollan</span></a> and Mark <a href="https://c.im/tags/Bittman" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Bittman</span></a>, the Indian environmentalist Vandana <a href="https://c.im/tags/Shiva" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Shiva</span></a> and the Nigerian activist Nnimmo <a href="https://c.im/tags/Bassey" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Bassey</span></a>. </p><p>🆘 Many profiles include <a href="https://c.im/tags/personal" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>personal</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/details" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>details</span></a> such as the names of family members, phone numbers, home addresses and even house values.</p><p>The profiling is part of an effort – that was <br>💥financed, in part, by <a href="https://c.im/tags/US" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>US</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/taxpayer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>taxpayer</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/dollars" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>dollars</span></a> <br>– to <a href="https://c.im/tags/downplay" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>downplay</span></a> pesticide dangers, <a href="https://c.im/tags/discredit" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>discredit</span></a> opponents and <a href="https://c.im/tags/undermine" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>undermine</span></a> international policymaking, according to court records, emails and other documents obtained by the non-profit newsroom Lighthouse Reports<br><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/sep/26/government-funded-social-network-attacking-pesticide-critics?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">theguardian.com/us-news/2024/s</span><span class="invisible">ep/26/government-funded-social-network-attacking-pesticide-critics?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other</span></a></p>