Perhaps you head about it when it first came out, or maybe this is new for you, either way if you want to know more about one of the biggest stories in tech of this decade this is for you.
The Background:
It all started when an undercover report by news source Channel 4 revealed how the massive data consulting firm secretly campaigns in elections across the world. Hopefully, I can break it down to make it easier to understand.
Cambridge Analytica is a London based consulting firm that was founded in 2013.
In June 2014, a researcher named Aleksandr Kogan developed a personality-quiz app for Facebook. The app was called "thisisyourdigitallife," and it offered its users personality predictions while claiming to be a research tool for psychologists.
After a user signed into the app which was tied to Facebook, it gained access to a users "like history" and to the user's friends' "like history." About 270,000 people installed Kogan’s app and since then Facebook has removed the option for developers to obtain data about a users friends.
The data obtained from "thisisyourdigitallife" was then shared with Cambridge Analytica who used it to create a massive database, containing information about 50 million Facebook users. It did this by using an algorithm to try and identify what a user was interested in and more importantly, what type of advertising they would be susceptible to based on their Facebook "like history."
The harvesting of the data was acceptable to Facebook's terms and conditions; however, it was the sharing of this data to Cambridge Analytica that violated Facebook's policy.
Paul Grewal, a vice president and general counsel at Facebook, was quoted as saying "Although Kogan gained access to this information in a legitimate way and through the proper channels that governed all developers on Facebook at that time, he did not subsequently abide by our rules."
There was no "Breach of Data." Facebook was not "Hacked." No passwords or accounts were ever stolen. In fact, in 2015 when Facebook claimed it learned about the private database, it removed the original app and demanded that Kogan and any of his partners delete the data.
Facebook has been accused of being too lax with its enforcement of this data deletion. And it was revealed that Cambridge had retained copies of private data until the present day.
Targeted Ads: The crux of this whole controversy is just what exactly makes Cambridge Analytica special? Targeted ads are nothing new, we all deal with them on a daily basis. For example, if you visit Amazon and look at a new pair of boots without buying them, then continue to browse the web, you might start to see adds for "Boots on Amazon" on the other websites you visit. Your interests were tracked. And as a result, you received specifically targeted ads. What makes the Cambridge Analytica situation special is the type and quality of the targeted advertising.
In January of 2017 article, the current Cambridge Analytica CEO Alexander Nix described what they do with the example of 2nd amendment gun rights: "For a highly neurotic and conscientious audience the threat of a burglary—and the insurance policy of a gun...Conversely, for a closed and agreeable audience. People who care about tradition, and habits, and family." These talking points are exemplified by two photos of the example advertising. One depicts an intruder smashing a window. An image on the left shows the hand of an intruder smashing a window. Another shows a father and child bonding over duck hunting.
Cambridge Analytica is in the business of targeting you with specific ads tailor made to your personality and the issues you care about. In a parody of the wise words of SpongeBob spoken so many years ago:
Connections to Trump: Here is what we know as described in a Wired Article: "Cambridge worked both for the Trump campaign and a Trump-aligned Super PAC. In June 2016, Cambridge sent three staffers, led by chief product officer Matt Oczkowski, to the campaign’s San Antonio office. Oczkowski’s team eventually grew to 13 people, working under Trump digital director Brad Parscale and alongside his staff and outside consultants. According to Parscale, the Cambridge staff provided useful analysis of data about the American electorate. They did not, however, provide the raw data—things like demographic information, contact information, and data about how voters feel about different issues—on which that analysis was done."
Regarding payment, the Wired article elaborated: "Cambridge Analytica was paid $5.9 million by the Trump campaign, according to Federal Election Commission filings, $5 million of which went toward buying television ads, with the remainder going to pay Oczkowski and his team."
So the 2016 election was influenced to some extent by Cambridge Analytica. The Trump administration has been quick to downplay their involvement and importance, but the fact remains that their services were used. In the coming weeks and months, more will be certainly be revealed about this issue. At that time a decision will be made as to legal action is required and to which entities is it to affect.
How does this affect you? At this point, regarding this specific treasure trove of private information? Probably nothing. If your data was compromised, then you have little to no power to get it back or have it deleted.
The best you can do is: 1. Make sure you are vigilant against online targeted advertising. 2. Be aware every time you use social media that you share more about who you are and that data can be, if in the wrong hands, used against you.