Cambridge Analytica began in 2012. Connection to John Bolton Super PAC. This may be reason Bolton was denied National Security Advisorship after first interview with Trump.
SCL elections contractor Christopher Wylie claimed to be founder of Cambridge Analytica. He worked Aug 2013-July 2014. SCL contracted with GSR in 2014.
GSR - Global Science Research started May 2014 by Dr. Aleksandr Spectre, alias for Dr. Aleksandr Kogan, developer of thisisyourdigitallife app. App originally for educational purposes, then Kogan rewrote terms which Facebook accepted.
Kogan access to users’ geographic information, content they had liked, and limited information about users’ friends was facilitated by Facebook tool.
Facebook was made aware of “unauthorized” sharing data with SCL/CA in 2015 and required certification that raw data was destroyed.
GSR was contractually committed to only obtain data in accordance with the UK Data Protection Act and to seek the informed consent of each respondent. GSR were also contractually the Data Controller (as per Section 1(1) of the Data Protection Act) for any collected data. The language in the SCL Elections contract with GSR is explicit on these points. GSR subsequently obtained Facebook data via an API provided by Facebook. When it subsequently became clear that the data had not been obtained by GSR in line with Facebook’s terms of service, SCL Elections deleted all data it had received from GSR (2015). For the avoidance of doubt, no data from GSR was used in the work we did in the 2016 US presidential election.
Wylie left SCL 2 months after GSR gained legal access to Facebook data. Did he know SCL purged data in 2015? Then acted as “whistleblower” in 2018 about 2016 Trump election, in which GSR data was not used?
Smell test?
IMO, Steve Bannon is behind this. Same as the Hollywood/Weinstein sexual improprieties. Weinstein effect = drop in Libs donations to Dems
What will the SCL/CA/GSR effect be? Take down FB? Neuter MZ’s ability to skirt campaign rules for in-kind political donations (see Teddy memo HRC email on access to beta FB, @Jack, Goog, etc. data tools)?
Are people miffed about Facebook collecting and sharing limited personal data but not about credit reporting agencies harvesting and selling financial data, then having serious data breach/hack?