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AIBU?

To think that we no longer live in a democracy

70 replies

applecatchers36 · 09/05/2017 21:36

Just read this article and found it chilling, that our data is being mined from Facebook, Non UK citizens/ nations ( am looking at you USA and Russia) have interfered in supposedly democratic elections. Why isn't this being challenged legally as criminal behaviour? Treason? Election fraud?

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applecatchers36 · 09/05/2017 21:37
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thunderbrat · 09/05/2017 21:42

There are all sorts of interesting implications there about the legitimacy of the Brexit vote . It's terrifying. And there's no opposition strong enough to seize it and run with it, and everyone's now distracted by the next bloody election.

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springflowers11 · 09/05/2017 22:17

What a load of bollox.It is people like you who are undemocratic because you cannot accept the result of a vote because it isn't what you wanted!

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LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 09/05/2017 22:19

Oh lord it's the tinfoil hat brigade again...

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StillDrivingMeBonkers · 09/05/2017 22:19

De ja vu

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FoxyRoxy · 09/05/2017 22:29

spring when did the op state how they voted in the referendum?

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thunderbrat · 09/05/2017 22:32

OK - if you remove the bit about wanting the referendum result to be reversed (guilty) - is it problematic to democracy that subtle political campaigning, based on targeting key groups, is being done without being advertised as such? Or do you believe that the idea of such marketing by Cambridge Analytica et al is a conspiracy?

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AlexaAmbidextra · 09/05/2017 22:33

It's apparent that for many, democracy is a fine thing until the result doesn't go their way. Hmm. Expect much more of the whingeing and vitriol that resulted from the Brexit referendum in a few weeks time.

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carefreeeee · 09/05/2017 22:33

YABU. We live in a democracy. The problem with a democracy is that ignorant and uneducated people's votes count just as much as those who have actually an idea what they are voting for.

The problem with the Brexit referendum was that (a) it should never have been the subject of a referendum because it is far too complex for people to understand and (b) the campaign was rubbish from both sides with no proper information provided and (c) such a huge decision should never be taken with such a close outcome. I think they should have campaigned a second time and insisted on more of a majority (in either direction) before confirming the result

The article (very long winded!) is basically saying that some targetted advertising could have influenced people to vote Leave. There is loads of advertising before any vote and I doubt many people's decisions are purely based on seeing an advert anyway. Perhaps it may remind them to actually go to the polling station

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LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 09/05/2017 22:34

And of course all the hyperbole about people's lives being over etc etc. Seriously - I'm embarrassed for some of the posters at times like that

Democracy means sometimes the other ones win

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carefreeeee · 09/05/2017 22:36

I agree thunder

It's just a way of targeting ads. No different to advertising in a particular newspaper or magazine depending on the age group/type of person you want to influence.

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scaryteacher · 09/05/2017 22:47

They'd have a hard job with me, I don't have, and refuse to have FB for just this reason.

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SleepOhHowIMissYou · 09/05/2017 22:49

It's all spin.

The doom-mongers secured my remain vote through pure fear.

Now, had the spin presented the EU as a closed group that gave preferential imigration rights (free movement) and financial treatment (membership tariffs) to Countries where the indigenous population was Caucasian and Christian and actively discriminated against Countries of different religion and ethnic origin, then I might have voted leave.

We lost.

Get over it.

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applecatchers36 · 09/05/2017 22:53

Not sure we read the same article, I read psychological operations developed by the military, and have been previously used to influence rogue states are now being deployed against a civilian population in an election campaign. That for example, those whose personality profile was identified as neurotic were sent images of swarms of immigrants invading, that this would trigger emotional responses that would sway would be voters, think that if this is true is more than concerning?

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fakenamefornow · 09/05/2017 23:02

Is this about Cambridge Analytica? I haven't looked at the link but I have read about them. I think it is worrying, we seem to be reading/seeing an awful lot of targeted stuff that is then used to manipulate our views. Most of us our quite lazy, we don't generally do loads of research into political issues, seeking out alternative views, we just absorb what's around in the background.

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MichaelSheensNextDW · 09/05/2017 23:06

The 'suck it up' brigade need to read Carole Cadwalladr's work and stop being so naive/wilfully ignorant about what's happening in our country.
www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/07/the-great-british-brexit-robbery-hijacked-democracy

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fakenamefornow · 09/05/2017 23:06

I think people are very naive if they think they're immune to this manipulation.

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LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 09/05/2017 23:08

Michael Why have you linked to the same piece as the OP?

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MichaelSheensNextDW · 09/05/2017 23:09

sorry, I didn't notice that post!

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fakenamefornow · 09/05/2017 23:11

One thing I really don't understand about this is the motivation behind it. I can understand why Putin/Russia would want Trump in power (although I think he's proving to a bit of a loose cannon for them) and the collapse of the EU. But the people behind Brexit, I don't really understand what they would gain from Brexit/the collapse of the EU, and why they would want that.

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HelloPossums · 09/05/2017 23:13

This

The problem with the Brexit referendum was that (a) it should never have been the subject of a referendum because it is far too complex for people to understand and (b) the campaign was rubbish from both sides with no proper information provided and (c) such a huge decision should never be taken with such a close outcome.

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squoosh · 09/05/2017 23:17

The 'suck it up' brigade need to read Carole Cadwalladr's work and stop being so naive/wilfully ignorant about what's happening in our country

They're too busy shrieking about tinfoil hats

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LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 09/05/2017 23:26

And yet some of you are obviously immune to the scary hacking of our brains as you aren't remotely influenced Grin

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LiviaDrusillaAugusta · 09/05/2017 23:27

And if you want 'shrieking' then any thread about Brexit has that in spades

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squoosh · 09/05/2017 23:28

But you're doing all the shrieking we need.

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