Exposed: Private Security Firms Caught Dumpster Diving and Spying on Environmental Groups
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 04.12.08
Image courtesy of Point-Shoot-Edit via flickr
From the crack team of investigative journalists at Mother Jones comes this disturbing, though not at all surprising, tale of corporate intrigue -- one that should raise concerns among all environmentally (and civil liberty) friendly observers. In a revealing piece that once again exemplifies the need for the type of hard-nosed reporting you aren't likely to find in much of the mainstream media, James Ridgeway exposes the activities of S2i (previously known as Beckett Brown International), a private security firm that was hired by several large corporations, including Kraft Foods and Dow Chemical, to spy on various environmental groups - most prominently, Greenpeace (but also the National Environmental Trust and the Environmental Working Group).
As reported by Ridgeway and his colleagues, the firm, built and managed by former Secret Service Officers, kept close tabs on these organizations for several years, stretching from the late 1990s through at least 2000; their favored tactic was "dumpster diving," a tactic TH's John Laumer rightly called "unethical, illegal . . . and is often ineffective." S2i's operatives didn't just limit their snooping to dumpster diving, of course; their underhanded methods also included: "pilfering documents from trash bins, attempting to plant undercover operatives within groups, casing offices, collecting phone records of activists, and penetrating confidential meetings."
The article reprints several memos and e-mails that were sent back and forth between S2i officials and their operatives. One extensively detailed account, called "Mission Impossible-like" by one of the worker's girlfriends, describes the company's successful effort to infiltrate Greenpeace's Washington D.C. headquarters and pilfer many internal documents, including several financial reports. The whole piece is well-worth the reading and a chilling reminder of the enmity and paranoia that many firms still have for environmental organizations.
This story dovetails nicely with a recent article written by The Guardian's John Vidal and Dan Milmo (Vidal penned another great piece concerning the burning of the eco-mansions which we covered here) which deals with similar efforts in the U.K. by private firm C2i (amazing that these companies share virtually the same name) to spy on Plane Stupid. In this case, however, it looks like the activists were quick to catch on to the scheme and confront said operatives.
It all just comes to show that being an "environmentalist" these days -- particularly one affiliated with a major organization -- can still be a hazardous proposition.
Via ::Mother Jones: Exclusive: Cops and Former Secret Service Agents Ran Black Ops on Green Groups (magazine), ::The Guardian: Mystery over who hired mole to dig dirt on Plane Stupid's environment activists (news website)
See also: ::FBI Alert for Treehugger Wackos, ::The Green Scare and Civil Liberties
It just so incomprehensible to me as to why a someone would want to spy on an environmental organization. Sounds like former secret service members stuck in that old cold war mentality. I would presume that these people who are doing this are uncultured swine who probably don't even recycle, drive jack bauer SUV's, listen to Rush Limbaugh talk radio and get their jollies by spying on their environmentalist because they suck. They should stop wasting their time spying on people who are trying to save the planet and work on counter-intelligence operations against the Peoples Republic of China & Russia.
Mad Magizine strikes again with Spy vs Spy.
Does this mean it's time for both sides to get a life?
'uncultured swine who probably don't even recycle'...
I think you'll find that it's exactly those people - sadly they own a substantial amount of UK PLC and USA Inc. and they seem to see the likes of Greenpeace as a greater threat to their control than China...
In the words of another TV series... we need to take care out there.
If you pollute to make money it might feel like your worlds coming to an end. Time to dig into your bag of dirty tricks.
One_Metal_Dragon - too funny sir.
When the shoe *is* on the other foot, it pinches.
Whoa. Not Kraft!
But yeah, that's really wrong of them to do.
Though "pilfering documents from trash bins" doesn't make sense. Wouldn't you think Greenpeace and the other groups would at least shred their docs, utilize digital docs, and RECYCLE their docs instead of tossing them in the trash bin?
Why in the world would a company want to spy on an environmental group if not for fear that it could possibly get dirt on it? (other than the likes of Greenpeace)
I was part of a grassroots movement in Va Beach a while back that opposed a proposed dolphin tank that would be less than a mile away from actual dolphins swimming in the ocean. The local museum also send undercover people to our meetings. It was totally ludacris. The most they got was probably a disturbing video on captive dolphins.
If only they spent that time and energy figuring out how they can be part of the solution - instead of spinning their wheels in environmental muck.
I wonder... Did it ever occur to them to just ask? I sorta doubt that environmental organizations really have some big secret agendas. Just a thought.
Quickboy makes a really good point. Greenpeace shouldn't have much in their dumpster. In fact, they shouldn't even have a dumpster.
Write your Greenpeace representative! What are you doing with trash?
If these were environmental groups, WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY GOING TO FIND IN DUMPSTERS ANYWAY? Shouldn't hardcore environmental action groups be recycling everything, and reducing their waste?
"Tomato pickers feel spied on"
http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080412/NEWS01/80412019/1014
Maybe Greenpeace recycles so much that they had to upgrade from a recycling bin to a recycling dumpster? :-) If thats not the case, then I'm pretty disappointed with them.
I'm also pretty disappointed with Kraft for their involvment. Dow on the other hand... that doesn't really surprise me.