What the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica panic lacks in relevance it sure makes up for in melodramatic rhetoric. Bloomberg, for instance, says that “revelations of the apparent skulduggery that helped Donald Trump win the 2016 presidential election keep sending shock waves across the political landscape.” It’s true. Everyone is talking about it. The story has consumed most of the mainstream media.
The theory goes something like this: Facebook obtained information on users who took a personality quiz with their online friends. Another outlet, Cambridge Analytica, harvested that information to brainwash a bunch of rubes, and then yada, yada, yada … Russia! Senators are now demanding executives come forth and answer questions. Investigations must be open. Democracy is under threat.
Former Cambridge Analytica contractor and now-professional whistleblower Christopher Wylie told CNN that while at the company he helped build a “psychological warfare weapon” to “exploit mental vulnerabilities that our algorithms showed that [Facebook users] had.”
So, in other words, he worked in the advertising business.
Those who have covered politics for more than a single Trump-cycle should know better than to use this kind of unnerving rhetoric for what amounts to average microtargeting, which has been used by hundreds, if not thousands, of firms. Yet, now, when it serves to bolster convoluted theories about an election being overthrown, terms like “psychographics” and “breach” are being thrown around to make it sound like someone hacked into voting rolls after boring into the deepest recesses of our souls.
Moreover, the idea that Facebook can know your “mental vulnerabilities” is only true if you share your nightmares with them. If you’re uncomfortable with data mining and your information being shared, don’t take surveys. Because, breaking news: You don’t have to be on Facebook. You don’t have to use Twitter. You don’t have a constitutional right to play FarmVille without answering some questions. You don’t get free stuff. The very existence of these tech companies is predicated on mining data so that they, or third parties, can sell you things.
Cambridge Analytica, a shady company owned by the British firm called SCL Group — and, reportedly, in part by the right-wing funding Mercer family — claimed it could build models that identify persuadable voters by using six key personality types. Considering the amount of data Hillary Clinton had at her disposable, the idea that more data equals more persuasion is suspect. Aside from that, Cambridge Analytica’s effectiveness is questionable, as are its business practices. As others have pointed out, most Republicans used the firm to open to door to the Mercers’ checkbook..
Yet, on the most obvious level, Cambridge Analytica is another story about double standards. The only consistent position the Left seems to take these days is that the mechanisms they use to keep power automatically transform into something nefarious and un-democratic when the opposition use them.
Call in the government this needs to be regulated I dont want that freedom thingee to touch anyones life, get this shit under control now. Do you see what they put out on the internet for anyone to read why I dont agree with it so its wrong think, hate speech, undemocratic. Ive seen a couple of these memes, I almost laughed at one targeted at my opinion, I quickly turned on my cable propaganda for 7 hours straight before I recognized the deep hate of it.
Happily, I participated in no surveys, so my mind remains my own. During the campaign, I read only a couple of those “this will put Hillary in jail” or “this is the end of Obama” articles to figure out they were nothing but click bait and, if anything like that happened, it would be reported… somewhere (I’d read about it on FA). Beyond that, I needed no Russians to convince me Hillary has a long and storied history of scandalous, scurrilous, duplicitous behavior and that the Obama administration was scandal-riddled.
@Deplorable Me: But if its regulated that means it would be against the law to have wrong think they could fine, ban or jail those that think wrong. You dont have to think for yourself just follow government rules. They already do this in the EU and they are so sophisicated and stuff, you never have to get exposed to things the government wants to keep from you.
Just google “jailed for wrong think in the EU”, we could also have a totalitarian regime, they have started this in certain colleges, where people are really really smart they are not limited to the silly science proven 2 genders.
‘Satan 2’ nuclear missile again test-launched by Russia, as Putin brags of ‘invulnerable’ arsenal
Maybe they’ll be nicer if we give them free rein in Syria, and very soon. They’ve got what they wanted, election-wise. We posture politically for domestic consumption, while they’re increasingly free to play.
If you’re traveling in Russia, try not to lose your passport. They just kicked out our diplomatic presence. You’ll be up a creek without a paddle.
@Greg: excellent response on data mining, and the possible ramifications if the internet is regulated without an internet bill of rights. Why didnt Clinton, Bush and Obama keep our missile systems current? Now its important? News MSM boy Putin isnt worried about tourists. Its safer to walk the streets of Moscow than London, unless I submit a hijab.
@Greg: Obama sure makes some great treaties, doesn’t he? I can’t WAIT to see how well his Iran joke turns out!
Obama already gave them that. How’d that work out?
Not too long ago, you were bitching that Trump has taken no action against Russia. When he does (just as the European Union and Britain has), you bitch about the obvious, predictable and expected reaction. You make yourself look like a fool. You should make sure Hillary gets that message when she goes back to get the final payment for 20% of our uranium.
@Deplorable Me, #6:
He hasn’t. Did you not understand the comment? Trump postures politically for domestic consumption, while Putin is increasingly free to play. We throw out some Russian diplomats; they throw out some U.S. diplomats. It’s theater. On the reality level, he’s about to discontinue contesting the Putin regime’s dominance in Syria. Putin has also aligned with Iran and Armenia. The Trump administration is considering economic sanctions against former Soviet states that purchase arms from Russia—which would be pretty much all of them. That will strengthen their ties to Russia and diminish their connections with the United States. Good idea? I’m skeptical.
Trump tells advisers he wants U.S. out of Syria: senior officials
They didn’t get our uranium. They invested in Uranium one, a Canadian-based corporation that’s licensed to mine and extract uranium in situ at two Wyoming locations. They’re licensed to transport the uranium to Canada for processing, but not to export it. That was the case at the time and remains so. But don’t let the facts get in the way of the right’s bullshit tale of U.S. uranium being sent off to Russia by Hillary Clinton. The tale also ignores the inconvenient fact that Clinton was never in a position to make the decision herself, one way or the other.
@Greg:
That’s what everyone else did as well. Um… that’s what OBAMA did. What do you want, to besiege Leningrad or Stalingrad? Nuke them?
And who made THAT theater possible? Why, that would be your Lord Obama, who drew a red line then scrambled to grab any excuse he could find to get out from under the stupid commitment he made. THAT’S when the Russians planted their flag and the entire region learned how weak and unreliable the US was under Obama. Don’t expect Trump to fix EVERYTHING overnight. There’s just so much screwed up crap to deal with.
Yeah. They DID.
But, they DID export it.
Obama’s a liar and Hillary’s a corrupt liar.