Tag: Christopher Wylie

‘The Capabilities Are Still There.’ Why Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower Christopher Wylie Is Still Worried

In March 2018, Christopher Wylie blew the whistle on Cambridge Analytica, a political consultancy that worked for the Trump campaign. Cambridge Analytica, the Canadian data scientist revealed, had illegally obtained the Facebook information of 87 million people and used it to build psychological profiles of voters. Using cutting-edge research, Cambridge Analytica — which was funded by the billionaire hedge-fund owner Robert Mercer, and effectively run by Steve Bannon from 2014 onward — spread narratives on social media aiming to ignite a culture war, suppress black voter turnout and exacerbate racist views held by some white voters. (Trump’s campaign staff have denied Cambridge Analytica played a major role in the campaign.)

Wylie’s revelations caused a temporary meltdown in Facebook’s market value and set governments around the world scrambling to more stringently regulate social media, data collection and political campaigning. But, 18 months later and as another U.S. Presidential Election approaches, Wylie says not enough has been done to prevent similar problems. In his new book, Mindf*ck: Cambridge Analytica and the Plot to Break America, out Oct. 8, Wylie tells the story of his experience coming to realize how the enormous amount of data we now share about ourselves daily on social media could be combined, synthesized and eventually weaponized to shape our thoughts, feelings and even voting habits — all without us noticing.

Wylie spoke to TIME about the dangers of Facebook, his fears for 2020 and his best advice for would-be whistleblowers.

View the complete October 8 article by Billy Perrigo on The Time website here.

Christopher Wylie warns Congress of “resegregation of society that’s catalyzed by algorithms”

The following by Melissa Ryan was posted on the Media Matters website May 17, 2018:

Mr. Wylie goes to Washington to help America better understand what we’re facing from social media

Christopher Wylie testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 16, warning of “resegregation of society that’s catalyzed by algorithms” and speaking at length about how Cambridge Analytica exploited Americans on Facebook.

Wylie, the whistleblower who helped expose Cambridge Analytica’s exploitation of 87 million Facebook users’ data, had met privately with House Democrats last month but the Republican majority refused to allow an open hearing. He has testified before Parliament in the U.K., but yesterday’s hearing was Wylie’s first public appearance in the U.S. He spoke about Cambridge Analytica’s U.S. election work, the systemic failures of tech companies that led to the data breach, and what the future holds if said failures remain unaddressed. Wylie emphasized that Americans are simply unable to opt out of using the internet and that regulation is the only protection available. Senators on the committee asked Wylie about some of Cambridge Analytica’s practices that will likely be adopted by other entities, such as voter suppression ads and predictive algorithms. Continue reading “Christopher Wylie warns Congress of “resegregation of society that’s catalyzed by algorithms””

Former Cambridge Analytica workers say firm sent foreigners to advise U.S. campaigns

The following article by Craig Timberg and Tom Hamburger was posted on the Washington Post website March 25, 2018:

Cambridge Analytica, a firm that ran data operations for President Trump’s 2016 campaign, was banned from Facebook on March 16. Here’s what you need to know. (Elyse Samuels, Patrick Martin/The Washington Post)

LONDON — Cambridge Analytica assigned dozens of non-U.S. citizens to provide campaign strategy and messaging advice to ­Republican candidates in 2014, according to three former workers for the data firm, even as an attorney warned executives to abide by U.S. laws limiting foreign involvement in elections.

The assignments came amid efforts to present the newly created company as “an American brand” that would appeal to U.S. political clients even though its parent, SCL Group, was based in London, according to former Cambridge Analytica research director Christopher Wylie. Continue reading “Former Cambridge Analytica workers say firm sent foreigners to advise U.S. campaigns”

Cambridge Analytica’s Dirty Tricks Elected Trump, CEO Claims

The following article by Nico Hines was posted on the Daily Beast website March 20, 2018:

Alexander Nix, the CEO of Cambridge Analytica, claimed they used proxies in the U.S. to influence the 2016 election.

Photo Illustration by Kelly Caminero, The Daily Beast

LONDON—British political consultants that worked for Donald Trump’s presidential campaign said they secretly used proxy organizations and super PACs to spread ads in the U.S. that could not be traced back to the Trump campaign.

Alexander Nix, the CEO of Cambridge Analytica, was secretly recorded by undercover reporters from Channel 4 in Britain who were posing as prospective clients. “There’s no evidence, there’s no paper trail, there’s nothing,” said Nix, reassuring them that his company’s dirty tricks for his clients would never be detected. Continue reading “Cambridge Analytica’s Dirty Tricks Elected Trump, CEO Claims”