The whole process, as laid out in the documents, started with granting access to CDC employees—yes, the same public servants entrusted with your health—using their government-issued email addresses. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. By using this specialized portal, and not email, the government could skirt those pesky federal record-keeping laws. FOIA requests? Public oversight? Forget about it. The new system made sure government actions were neatly tucked away in proprietary software.