> is there some moral principle that all scientists should disclose everything and you can't hire them for confidential work? I think the argument is that rele

> is there some moral principle that all scientists should disclose everything and you can't hire them for confidential work? I think the argument is that released scientific knowledge is generally in the public's interest, and since the research is in fact funded by the public, government scientists should be allowed to release whatever they want. The government is a public institution, so some feel that "confidential government research" should be restricted to very limited things. That said, I do agree that it is all a bit overblown.