Cambridge Analytica.

[onalongsabbatical]

I'm going to be in London next week visiting the British Museum, among other thoroughly respectable activities. Headquarters of Cambridge Analytica are round the corner. AIBU to be sorely tempted to go and smear something nasty on their windows? Or at least go and give them a big, nasty stare - Paddington-bear-like?

I don't fully understand this story so following to hopefully learn more

Think they're doing their own smearing with the shit that's hitting the fan

It's about data, user, being harvested from Facebook in order to rig elections. It's the lowest of the low, they think they are cleverer than the rest of us and we're here to be manipulated. If you watch the Channel 4 news report they really are so smug and arrogant they actually chuckle about covert filming and dopping politicians in the shit to discredit them - whilst THEY are being covertly filmed themselves! Well done to the Observer and the New York Times and Channel 4 for collaborating on this and bringing them to light. They undermine democracy and them and their like have been behind - probably - so much that's happened in the last few years. In terms of being a manipulative influence behind the scenes. Trump and in all probability Brexit too. I'm fucking furious with them. I'm a sweet old granny but really tempted to go and press my nose to their windows next week - or worse!

The UK and USA have almost uniquely shit voting systems that make this sort of shit more pivotal - elections decided by influencing tiny numbers of people in a few seats.

Falsepriest they are indeed I'd just like to help them along to their downfall.

Do it. Thank goodness for whistleblowers (although shame he didn't whistle far earlier!).

thank you or explaining it in a way I understand, how utterly vile, I'm assuming this is illegal?! It does seem our laws are very old fashioned when it comes to certain aspects of modern life, social media and fake news being one huge issue

Yes go and conduct a one woman dirty protest. We'll crowdfund your bail money

does seem our laws are very old fashioned

I agree - I had a chuckle about the information commissioner seeking an urgent court warrant to enter the London headquarters of Cambridge Analytica.

As if they are going to find anything in the office.

Granny that's a tempting offer... how long would I get banged up for breaking a teeny window with a hammer, I wonder? Whilst looking old and innocent?

I'd contribute to a crowdfund for your legal fees! Do it!

Yes they've been seeing this urgent warrant all bloody night - meanwhile mass deletion going on, no doubt. The law needs to catch up with the modern age and have provision for urgent meaning instant in these kind of cases.

Yea, exactly! we beleive we live in a democracy, but it's proven that we are being lied to. Uproar at Putin "rigging" elections but how is this so different? It is a huge issue that has impacted the world, and the response is to raid the office 🤔

So I have the support of Granny and fanny

user CA broke FB rules (and largely got away with it) by saying the data was being collected for academic purposes then using them commercially. They say they were unaware they were breaking any rules (a third-party firm harvested the data and CA bought it) and that they deleted the data when they were told they'd broken rules. This was conveniently after they had used the data.

Such data was clearly used with the intention of manipulating voters - they were paid by the Trump campaign and have links to the Leave campaign but I'm not sure if this is illegal. I suspect our laws surrounding electoral interference haven't really caught up with technology and social media.

x-post!

Surely it would be more subtle to play them at their own game. A bit of covert filming honey trapping with Latvian ladies would do the trick.

Rule number 1: if you’re not paying, you are not the customer. You are the product.

Am I the only one who’s neither surprised or outraged? Social media has always been a Faustian pact.

What amazes me (I don't suppose it should) is that they have been caught bang to rights and still seem to think they can wriggle out of it.

Maybe they have some dirt on some important people.

Lethaldrizzle you gorgeous enough to volunteer for that bit? Cos I'm not.

PaddyF0dder I agree and I've always tried to balance that Faustin pact - but the C4 revelations go some way beyond a bit of data misuse.

I encourage anyone who hasn't seen the C4 revelations to take a look. There's a senior exec of CA talking about "sending Ukrainian girls" around to a candidate they wish to discredit.

PaddyF0dder I'm not surprised, but it's the difference between knowing that some awful shit's going on and seeing the smug little shits on screen actually doing it and realising stuff like, oh, it's another Eton boy! Really? Can we close Eton down maybe?

Reasonable summary so far from the BBC, in case it helps (Includes advice at the bottom about protecting your data):
Cambridge Analytica: The story so far
www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-43465968

Parts 1 and 2 of the Channel 4 series Data, Democracy and Dirty Tricks: #CambridgeAnalyticaUncovered are found here:

Part one: The Whistleblower
Part two: Revealed: Trump’s election consultants filmed saying they use bribes and sex workers to entrap politicians
www.channel4.com/news/data-democracy-and-dirty-tricks-cambridge-analytica-uncovered-investigation-expose

There'll more tonight in the 7 pm C4 news. Five parts in total – I guess they'll all be added on that link.

If you watch the Channel 4 news report they really are so smug and arrogant they actually chuckle about covert filming and dopping politicians in the shit to discredit them - whilst THEY are being covertly filmed themselves!

I know! I mean it's all very wrong and worrying in all sorts of ways – but the irony was extremely amusing.

Useful links, thanks Perking. Will be glued to C4 news all week. This does feel like a massive exposé of what's been going on for the last few years and potentially very game-changing.