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The Cambridge Analytica Files

posted by martyb on Monday March 19 2018, @12:52PM   
from the psychological-warfare-in-peacetime dept.

fritsd writes:

The Guardian has an article about a whistleblower from Cambridge Analytica, who claims to have devised a strategy to "weaponize" Facebook profiles, in order to use those profile for targeted advertising to sway the US elections in 2016.

The Cambridge Analytica Files: ‘I created Steve Bannon’s psychological warfare tool’: meet the data war whistleblower

(The Guardian headline titles are often crap). I read a few older articles, presumably by the same author: she had a series of articles in March--May 2017 about Cambridge Analytica being used as a weapon to convince British voters to vote for Brexit in the referendum. It seems that her investigative journalism encouraged this wistleblower to "come out" and be interviewed by her.

Here's one: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/07/the-great-british-brexit-robbery-hijacked-democracy

Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others (Churchill), but when does advertising cross the line into psychological warfare against your own population?

Additional coverage at The Register

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Original Submission

• still can't get over it, eh? still can't get over it, eh? (Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 19 2018, @01:48PM (3 children)

  by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 19 2018, @01:48PM (#654885)

  Obama was praised for how clever his use of the internet was. Oh how he was such a wonderful genius!

  Trump comes along, does the same stuff, and obviously this is a crime! He needs to be impeached yesterday... because we just want Pence, or something.

  Starting Score:	0		points
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• Re:still can't get over it, eh? (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 19 2018, @02:15PM

  by Anonymous Coward on Monday March 19 2018, @02:15PM (#654897)

  Crazy, right? I guess Pence is a born and bred politician though, and the people behind the curtain could work with him.

  Parent

• None so blind... (Score: 4, Touché) by fyngyrz on Monday March 19 2018, @02:17PM

  by fyngyrz (6567) on Monday March 19 2018, @02:17PM (#654900) Journal

  Trump comes along, does the same stuff

  Found the problem with your post.

  No need to thank me. :)

  Parent

• Re:still can't get over it, eh? (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 20 2018, @05:28PM

  by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday March 20 2018, @05:28PM (#655507)

  People kept praising Ben Carson for how brilliant a brain surgeon he was, but I do the same stuff and suddenly the police are trying to arrest me.

  Parent