Facebook and Cambridge Analytica: The Story of the Year?

The bald facts are that a Cambridge University academic devised a amp8220psychological profiling quizamp8221 and quite legally placed it on FB amp160Everyone knows these quizzes if youamp8217re bored enough you might fall for doing one but you probably never thought that there would be any consequencesWho then did what exactly depends on whom you believe but the net result was that CA managed to get their hands on upwards of 50 million personality profiles by extrapolating the comparatively small number of people knowingly taking part in a quiz through their FB friends who had no idea this was happening amp160This data was then used as is freely admitted by the Trump campaign to send very specific messaging to US voters and it is alleged to those voting in the EU Referendum in the UKLetamp8217s leave the detail of who was contractually permitted to do what for a moment and consider whether it is right to use personal data harvested via donamp8217t letamp8217s forget an unregulated source without the owneramp8217s permission in order to send microtargeted ads to that personamp160 I would say not amp160Surely we should be in control of our own data as Doc Searlsamp8217 VRM concept has always had it amp160And we should be able to do with it what we will including not having it used or indeed selling it to FB Cambridge Analytica or anyone else should we choose to do soIt is no argument to say as Alex Steer from the GroupM agency Wavemaker has it in Campaign that amp160what CA has done is not original because his agency does the same thing and that therefore all is well amp160All that does is say he Wavemaker and GroupM are in the wrong ethically and morally if not legallyNor is this in anyway the same as using aggregated data from market research data given by the respondent in return for cash and under a clear understanding of the end useNor is it the same as collecting aggregated data from a first party source like a letamp8217s not forget regulated publisher assuming the data has been collected in a manner that is GDPR compliantBob Hoffman the AdContrarian has been banging this drum for years amp160He even wrote a book about it called BadMen How Advertising Went From a Minor Annoyance to a Major MenaceWith Bobamp8217s permission Iamp8217ll quote the opening of the book a 2016 quote from Alexander Nix CEO of Cambridge Analyticaamp160 amp8220Today in the United States we have somewhere close to four or five thousand data points on every individual amp8230 So we model the personality of every adult across the United States some 230 million peopleamp8221On the likely assumption he doesnamp8217t have 230 million permissions or even 50 million do you still think thatamp8217s okayThereamp8217s one very important postscript amp160The CA story was unearthed by a journalist called Carole Cadwalladr and has been published over time in The Guardian and its Sunday sibling The Observer amp160Itamp8217s a story that on its own highlights the critical role played by a free press and by journalists not prepared to be deflected by trolls vested interests threats and the rest of the nonsense you find on social mediaamp160 Since then Channel 4 The New York Times and others have carried the story too but never forget it takes one person to write this stuff supported by others Iamp8217m sure and to put themselves out there in the firing lineAlex Steeramp8217s piece in Campaign references amp8220shock and aweamp8221 coverage and seems concerned in case any of us should think CA is doing something his organization canamp8217t or hasnamp8217tIamp8217m not sure I would boast about that especially at a time when our Parliament and the US Congress are getting close to debating whether online advertising should be controlledPhoto by KevinUnsplashClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160

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Facebook and Cambridge Analytica: The Story of the Year?

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Brian Jacobs

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Facebook and Cambridge Analytica: The Story of the Year?

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