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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Carey Gillam, Margot Gibbs and Elena DeBre

US-funded ‘social network’ attacking pesticide critics shuts down after Guardian investigation

tractor sprays substance on field of green produce
Pesticides sprayed on bell pepper plants in Florida. Photograph: Design Pics Inc/Alamy

A US company that was secretly profiling hundreds of food and environmental health advocates in a private web portal has said it has halted the operations in the face of widespread backlash, after its actions were revealed by the Guardian and other reporting partners.

The St Louis, Missouri-based company, v-Fluence, said it is shuttering the service, which it called a “stakeholder wiki”, that featured personal details about more than 500 environmental advocates, scientists, politicians and others seen as opponents of pesticides and genetically modified (GM) crops.

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