One of the most important keepers of data on climate change was recently hacked and information was leaked, leading authorities to launch an investigation into the security of the organization. Sir Muir Russell will lead an investigation into e-mails that were leaked out of the Climatic Research Unit which is located in Norwich, United Kingdom. Allegations from the breach claim that some information is being kept from the public, which is one of the things that Muir Russell’s investigation will probe. The investigation will look into whether or not data was suppressed or manipulated that may be at odds with commonly held scientific theories about the effects of climate change.
The controversy started weeks ago when e-mails between scientists at the Climatic Research Unit and some of their peers were posted on a website. Police are unsure whether the information was hacked from the website or leaked from an inside source, but they continue to investigate the possibility that the information was stolen from CRU databases. Some of the emails contained the word trick and there was also talk of hiding results. However, spokesmen for the CRU claim that the e-mails were taken out of context and that the word trick was merely being used to say something was clever and not as a means of fooling someone. This was enough to prompt a full investigation as Muir Russell says that evidence of data tampering or suppression of information would call into question all of the research conducted by the CRU.
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