Comment moderation and freedom of speech at the social media site, PubPeer: challenges and issues

PubPeer is currently very likely the most visible and coordinated post-publication peer review site for academics and scientists, even more than PubMed Commons, which has now become obsolete because it allows for anonymous comments and critiques. In order for this site to continue to gain the trust and respect of scientists, it needs to display complete transparency and open communication with the public. Little is known about the founders and the management of this organization, California-based The PubPeer Foundation, although two of its founders, Boris Barbour and Brandon Stell, work at French research institutes. It is believed that in November of 2016, The PubPeer Foundation received US$ 412,800 in funding from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation [funded by Enron billionaire John Arnold]. However, the public would not have been able to glean this information from looking at the “About us” page, even after PubPeer upgraded to version 2.0 on June 15, 2017. This large financial donation is linked to John Arnold’s “war on bad science”. Opacity regarding these facts, compounded by comment removal querying this funding and why it had not been publicized at that time, and how this funding is currently being used, underscores trust in PubPeer, its founders, and its funders. It is unclear who precisely is the comment moderator at PubPeer, and comments come and go, are edited and erased, at the will of the anonymous moderator. If PubPeer hid basic information from the public for almost 7 months, continues to show signs of content (i.e., comment) manipulation and infringement of commentator freedom of speech by impeding the publication of comments, then what moral voice does PubPeer have to request the transparent participation of scientists, editors, and publishers on its site? 


#Enron #uBiome #ElisabethBik #JohnArnold #RetractionWatch #PubPeer #FBI #SEC


https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339631024_Comment_moderation_and_freedom_of_speech_at_PubPeer_challenges_and_issues#pf4


https://www.francesoir.fr/societe-sante/elisabeth-bik-la-deceleuse-de-fraudes-scientifiques-soupcons


https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0176555

https://francesoir.fr/opinions-tribunes/elisabeth-bik-consultante-en-integrite-scientifique-joue-un-role-essentiel-dans


https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndca/pr/ubiome-co-founders-charged-federal-securities-health-care-fraud-conspiracies


https://synapse.ucsf.edu/articles/2022/02/28/ucsf-start-fugitives-justice


https://capitalresearch.org/article/laura-and-john-arnold-dark-money-entrepreneurs/


https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/02/ubiome-what-really-happened-at-health-start-up-raided-by-fbi.html



https://twitter.com/Jikkyleaks/status/1619908640919650304 




Founders of poop-testing startup uBiome indicted for fraud https://www.nydailynews.com/2021/03/22/california-couple-behind-trendy-poop-testing-startup-ubiome-accused-of-99-million-fraud-conspiracy/



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