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Cambridge Analytica investigated for influencing US presidential election

London-based political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica has been accused of using personal data of 50 million Facebook members to influence the US presidential election in 2016.

The company denies any wrong doing.

This has caused many users to delete their Facebook accounts: https://twitter.com/hashtag/DeleteFacebook?src=tren

You can read the full story here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-43465700

What do you make of this? Does it surprise you? Would you consider deleting your Facebook account?

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Yes, everyone who thinks Trump was elected because of this or any other Russian effort ought to delete their fb and any other social media accounts. Let's set up a site to raise money for them to get specialist help instead.

CNN did more to elect Trump than all Russians put together, you only have to listen to an anti-Trump nutjob to feel like voting for him.
Wonder why this story broke now considering the workings of Cambridge Analytics have been known for well over a year and they have hardly been hiding in the shadows.
Original post by zhog
Yes, everyone who thinks Trump was elected because of this or any other Russian effort ought to delete their fb and any other social media accounts. Let's set up a site to raise money for them to get specialist help instead.

CNN did more to elect Trump than all Russians put together, you only have to listen to an anti-Trump nutjob to feel like voting for him.

LOL. There's an abundance of evidence that the company stole data and your response is to shrug your shoulders as if the end justifies the means.
Original post by DeBruyne18
LOL. There's an abundance of evidence that the company stole data and your response is to shrug your shoulders as if the end justifies the means.


I was more interested in the allegation in the title that it may have influenced Trump's election, taking a lead from several mainstream media channels. I'm fed up with with that crap by people who can't deal with electoral defeat. So tell us, do you think this helped place Trump in the House?
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by zhog
I was more interested in the allegation in the title that it may have influenced Trump's election, taking a lead from several mainstream media channels. I'm fed up with with that crap by people who can't deal with electoral defeat. So tell us, do you think this helped place Trump in the House?

It's not the most relevant point is it? A company working on his campaign has stolen a huge amount of personal data. That should terrify people, instead you're reverting to partisan tropes.

Imagine if the Russian government had been helping Labour at the last election by stealing the Tory party's data and giving it to Labour. Somehow I don't think your response would be 'ah but it didn't make that much difference to the result'
Original post by DeBruyne18
It's not the most relevant point is it?


I'm afraid it is when we are talking influencing elections, we are being fed another portion of innuendo with regard to Trump. Feel as terrified as you like, my only suggestion is that, on top of deleting all your social media accounts, you go out a lot more and try to focus on something else other than Trump.

A company working on his campaign has stolen a huge amount of personal data. That should terrify people, instead you're reverting to partisan tropes.

Imagine if the Russian government had been helping Labour at the last election by stealing the Tory party's data and giving it to Labour. Somehow I don't think your response would be 'ah but it didn't make that much difference to the result'


Yawn...
(edited 6 years ago)
Original post by zhog
I'm afraid it is when we are talking influencing elections, we are being fed another portion of innuendo with regard to Trump. Feel as terrified as you like, my only suggestion is that, on top of deleting all your social media accounts, you go out a lot more and try to focus on something else other than Trump.



Yawn...


How do you know it didn't influence the election? Oh wait, you don't....

You Trumpites really are one and the same aren't you? You're fine with criminal activity, so long as it benefits your guy.

Your side really does have a victim mentality don't they?
(edited 6 years ago)
Facebook staff may have been involved in illegal coverup activity with Cambridge Analytica, they were thrown out of the CA offices last night by UK authorities.
https://twitter.com/Freedland/status/975818284422647808

https://twitter.com/hashtag/WheresZuck?src=hash
Reply 10
In fairness this is the sort of thing i'd expect from slimey toads such as these. It's facebook who need a good clubbing for this massive **** up.
It's beautifully ironic that those that have cried the loudest about media bias and fake news ( the modern right, Brexit supporters, Trump supporters) are the ones that have fallen for manipulative, dishonest propaganda campaigns. Judging by their response to the overwhelming evidence against Cambridge Analytica, they still lack the self-awareness to realise they've been played like fine violins.
Original post by Napp
In fairness this is the sort of thing i'd expect from slimey toads such as these. It's facebook who need a good clubbing for this massive **** up.


Accepted that Farcebook is a money making operation, they still seem remarkably cavalier about their data and how it gets used and abused. Like a number of Silicon Valley giants, they clearly do not think that the laws of mere countries apply to them. We need to demonstrate to them unequivocally that they do.

I think one way forward would be to block those operators that refuse to play by our rules. Facebook for example think it's fine to lie to Parliament, to deceive our tax and information governance authorities and to spout nonsense when confronted and obstruct investigations.
Facebook are now blocking comments on Messenger from people identified on the platform as friends of F/book whistleblowers.
https://twitter.com/DamianCollins/status/976096529348952065
Reply 14
New recruits at Durham Analytica spend their first two weeks discussing which of Oxford Analytica or Cambridge Analytica they got rejected from. (Source: as tweeted. :wink: )

Meanwhile, Facebook's share price...
Facebook share price.jpg
Reply 15
Original post by RivalPlayer
This sort of stuff is only possible because people are incredibly willing to submit so much private information about themselves to online platforms.
Something like this was inevitable.


I think the main difference is it is info you shared with friends. Then your friends use apps (eg games) that have grabbed your info without your permission, or knowledge.




Posted from TSR Mobile
They won it for Trump.

They said it in their own words. Hillary won the popular vote by a margin of millions, but thanks to targeting of key states where trump won by as little as 40,000, he won.

People who deny this, even after CA admitted it themselves, are idiots who lack the ability to understand just how influential social media is.
Essentially they are being investigated for taking user's private information without asking for their consent. They also said that they can discredit politicians by using honey traps and even bribery.

Facebook is being accused for misleading the committee over the answers that the company gave in a previous hearing. As a result Mark Zuckerberg is being asked to give evidence.

We don't know whether the Trump campaign team knew about the company's dodgy tactics, but Steve Bannon was the former vice president.

Very, very interesting stuff going on.
Original post by mojojojo101
Wonder why this story broke now considering the workings of Cambridge Analytics have been known for well over a year and they have hardly been hiding in the shadows.


The story broke out because Channel 4 filmed a secret interview with Alexander Nix where he basically revealed how the company operates.

I presume that beforehand this was all speculation.

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