What were the astroturfing events involving GiveWell in January 2008 and the responses to those activities?
The two founding staff of GiveWell, Holden Karnofsky and Elie Hassenfeld, inappropriately promoted GiveWell on several blogs and in email forums. In these promotions they either hid or disguised their identities, and did not reveal their associations with GiveWell. Their actions were discovered and both founders acknowledged and apologized for their acts. The Board of Directors took action; demoting and fining both employees, posting a public statement about the event and actions taken, and offering to return any gifts to donors that so desire. The Board also established several new working procedures to put in place appropriate controls, to ensure the current work of the organization continues, and to meet commitments to donors and non-profit partners.
