“ Last year, a group of theoretical physicists photographed slides from a meeting presentation, extracted the data, and used them in their own analysis, which they published online (see Nature 455, 7; 2008). In that case, the theorists were given permission by a presenter, and the photographs were properly cited, but the situation illustrates how easily data can find their way into the public sphere. In many fields, competition is so intense that you must conceal to survive, says Natan.
