Facebook suspends controversial data firm Cambridge Analytica

Discussion in 'privacy general' started by stapp, Mar 17, 2018.

  1. stapp

    stapp Global Moderator

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    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-43440043
     
  2. deBoetie

    deBoetie Registered Member

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  3. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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    "How ... Consultants Exploited the Facebook Data of Millions...

    ...[T]he firm harvested private information from the Facebook profiles of more than 50 million users without their permission, according to former Cambridge employees, associates and documents, making it one of the largest data leaks in the social network’s history. The breach allowed the company to exploit the private social media activity of a huge swath of the American electorate, developing techniques that underpinned its work on ... [The Presidential] campaign in 2016...

    Cambridge not only relied on the private Facebook data but still possesses most or all of the trove..."

    https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/...column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news
     
  4. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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    "Massachusetts says to probe Facebook, Cambridge Analytica

    (Reuters) - The Massachusetts attorney general said on Saturday her office was launching an investigation after reports that Cambridge Analytica had harvested private information from more than 50 million Facebook users in developing techniques ...[for use in the] 2016 election campaign.

    'Massachusetts residents deserve answers immediately from Facebook and Cambridge Analytica. We are launching an investigation,' Maura Healey said on Twitter in a post that linked to a New York Times report on the issue."

    https://mobile.reuters.com/article/amp/idUSKCN1GT0OM?__twitter_impression=true
     
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2018
  5. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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    "Facebook Quietly Hid Webpages Bragging of Ability to Influence Elections

    When Mark Zuckerberg was asked if Facebook had influenced the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, the founder and CEO dismissed the notion that the site even had such power as 'crazy.' It was a disingenuous remark. Facebook’s website had an entire section devoted to touting the 'success stories' of political campaigns that used the social network to influence electoral outcomes. That page, however, is now gone, even as the 2018 congressional primaries get underway..."

    https://theintercept.com/2018/03/14/facebook-election-meddling/
     
  6. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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    It's the ability to model individuals, based on such data, that's fundamentally freaky. I've worked as a canvasser, and would have killed for an app that told me whether or not to bother with a home, or how to most effectively influence people. And individually targeted ads, based on what people believe and support, and their psychology, that's powerful.
     
  7. JoWazzoo

    JoWazzoo Registered Member

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    Facebook rules were wide open at the time. They admitted as much on several occasions and back 2 - 3 years ago indicated that Cambridge did nothing untoward. Articles in the Guardian, Intercept and elsewhere. This is mostly apparently tied in to Russian "collusion" BS. Heavily being pushed by the New York Times.

    Though they were other tools, Obama for America did the same things in 2008 & 2012.

    Politics sucks.
     
  8. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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    Maybe Obama campaigns would have done the same. But the requisite data services didn't exist then. Even the Clinton campaign didn't use them.

    Going forward, though, everyone will use them, if they can afford to.
     
  9. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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  10. zapjb

    zapjb Registered Member

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    USA still the best. But barely.
    Two years ago they knew. They're COMPLICIT!
     
  11. deBoetie

    deBoetie Registered Member

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    Why should I be dependent on FB rules - when I don't even USE the platform? Data is still easily correlated to me via contacts etc. The reality is that legislatures that are supposed to protect its citizens let companies like that do a huge unprincipled land-grab.
     
  12. JRViejo

    JRViejo Super Moderator

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  13. JoWazzoo

    JoWazzoo Registered Member

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    Net-net it sucks. But no worse than tools used by most campaigns in the past 15 years or so including Obama campaign used in 2008 & 2012. Nor no sleezier than what Google does on a continuing, ongoing basis behind the scenes with its Ads every day directed by the private data it scarfs from everywhere. Facebook is only slightly less bad than Google. In both cases a person using their services basically signs away all their privacy rights. For example, in the case of photos posted to Facebook, they not the user owns them once posted.

    Strange that Facebook seems to have changed its tune 180 degrees since 2 - 3 years ago. Guess they cannot stand the heat.

    Sleazy fer sure - like most everything in politics. And not condoning what Cambridge did - it was BS.

    Maybe this has something to do with it
    Data Firm Tied to Trump Campaign Talked Business With Russians

    https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/...column-region&region=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

    While the times states that "Only a tiny fraction of the users had agreed to release their information to a third party." This is not strictly true as Facebook's policies in place at the time required users to sign away nearly all their privacy rights.

    "Only about 270,000 users — those who participated in the survey — had consented to having their data harvested."

    Not true. According to Facebook's terms of service in place at that time.

    Even the Times admitted it in this "The researchers paid users small sums to take a personality quiz and download an app, which would scrape some private information from their profiles and those of their friends, activity that Facebook permitted at the time."

    Permitted --- by Facebook.

    https://theintercept.com/2017/03/30...r-data-harvested-by-trump-campaign-affiliate/

    Facebook continues to maintain that whatever happened during the run-up to the election was business as usual. “Our investigation to date has not uncovered anything that suggests wrongdoing,” a Facebook spokesperson told The Intercept.

    "Facebook appears not to have considered Global Science Research’s data collection to have been a serious ethical lapse."

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...ed-cruz-president-campaign-facebook-user-data

    While Facebook users' "data has gradually herded users to agree to increasingly permissive terms of service. By 2014, anything a user’s friends could see was also potentially visible to the developers of any app that they chose to download. "

    Russian "collusion" (patooey) investigation has everything to do with FB new aggressiveness.
     
  14. JRViejo

    JRViejo Super Moderator

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    Suspending Cambridge Analytica and SCL Group from Facebook by Paul Grewal, VP & Deputy General Counsel.​
     
  15. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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    Yes, the Obama and Clinton campaigns used social media and astroturfing. And they developed and targeted their stuff based on psychological profiling. However, as I understand it, their stuff was targeted only in relatively crude ways. They used lists from various online and offline sources. But they generally didn't target stuff at a very granular level.

    Basically, Cambridge Analytica adopted the behaviorally targeted ad approach that's taken over the Internet, and applied it to political campaigns. They were doing psychological profiling at the individual level. They targeted likely Clinton and Sanders voters with messages that discouraged voting. They targeted likely Trump voters with messages that bolstered support and encouraged voting. Through ads and spam. In Facebook and Twitter posts, by agents and bots. Through telephone calls. Through physical visits by canvassers. Who carried phones with apps that provided real time access to individual user profiles.

    That was much worse!

    But of course, now everyone will be using it. If they can afford it, anyway. And what does that portend for democracy? Nothing good, I'd argue.
    Maybe "no sleezier". But this stuff affects political campaigns. Helps determine who gets elected. That's very different from selling widgets and whatever.
     
  16. Reality

    Reality Registered Member

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    The very unpopular message is that all this foolishness will keep on getting worse. Politics is only a means to an end. It doesn't matter who is elected there are events determined to happen and there's no turning back from that. If those previously in power had anything lesser than what we have today at their disposal, make NO mistake, they would've used it. That's why all the smoke and mirrors, red herrings and blame games are only diversionary.
     
  17. zapjb

    zapjb Registered Member

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    USA still the best. But barely.
    I just wish & it is just a wish, I won't hold my breath. I just wish those in power, seeking power or controlling power would follow principles shared by most all religions.

    Such as: Forgive, Cause No Harm, God = Love, Mankind is one, Don't Lie etc.
     
  18. Reality

    Reality Registered Member

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    Definitely don't hold your breath Zap.
     
  19. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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    "The shocking details you reveal about yourself when you ‘like’ things on Facebook...

    • After you “like” just 10 Facebook pages, advertisers (or political campaigns) can get to know you as well as a colleague, according to research from Cambridge University in the U.K.

    • After 70 “likes” as much can be deduced about you as a close friend knows. And after 150 “likes”? You’ve essentially given up as much about yourself as your parents know..."

    https://www.marketwatch.com/story/t...f-when-you-like-things-on-facebook-2017-05-16
     
  20. emmjay

    emmjay Registered Member

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    Last edited: Mar 19, 2018
  21. Compu KTed

    Compu KTed Registered Member

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  22. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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    Cambridge Analytica caught on camera boasting about bribing politicians

    "An undercover investigation by [UK] Channel 4 News reveals how Cambridge Analytica secretly campaigns in elections across the world. Bosses were filmed talking about using bribes, ex-spies, fake IDs and sex workers

    Senior executives at Cambridge Analytica ...have been secretly filmed saying they could entrap politicians in compromising situations with bribes and Ukrainian sex workers.

    The United Kingdom’s Channel 4 News went undercover in Cambridge Analytica by having its reporters pose as prospective clients and caught its executives making multiple claims of illicit behavior.

    In an undercover investigation by Channel 4 News, the company’s chief executive Alexander Nix said the British firm secretly campaigns in elections across the world. This includes operating through a web of shadowy front companies, or by using sub-contractors..."

    https://www.channel4.com/news/cambr...x-workers-to-entrap-politicians-investigation
     
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2018
  23. JoWazzoo

    JoWazzoo Registered Member

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    Hmmmm Real name on Facebook? I have 4 accounts and NONE are even remotely close to my IRL name. My Birthday is BS as well. As is my phone number where entered. And so on. And using Facebook Purity I do not see 99 % of their garbage.:thumb::argh:
     
  24. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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  25. JoWazzoo

    JoWazzoo Registered Member

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