# The Guardian: The Cambridge Analytica Files: meet the data war whistleblower **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 19, 2018, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-the-cambridge-analytica-files-meet-the-data-war-whistleblower/810809 "2018-03-19T03:59:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-the-cambridge-analytica-files-meet-the-data-war-whistleblower/810809/21 "2018-03-20T23:24:51Z")
> [@Merneith](#): > > PS - Alexander Nix, not Nex. Yeah, I know. I had to spell his name right to find him in the Companies House database, but it didn’t carry over to here 😉 The Mercer family though, eh? ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-the-cambridge-analytica-files-meet-the-data-war-whistleblower/810809/22 "2018-03-20T23:26:16Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > The data in this case was not regular Facebook data, it was from an App that people had to run and answer questions. I don’t use Facebook but I was told many people know to avoid those apps, but I guess they still had a lot of users. No. In addition the answers to the questions, the App in question asked for and received permission to use the persons Facebook profile data. At the time this was done, it was a large amount of data and it included all the same data from your friends. I’m this way, a couple of hundred thousand who ran the app, passed on data on 50 million Facebook users. Facebook has since tightened things up, but the data was already in in the wild. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2018, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-the-cambridge-analytica-files-meet-the-data-war-whistleblower/810809/23 "2018-03-20T23:30:09Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > The data in this case was not regular Facebook data, it was from an App that people had to run and answer questions. I don’t use Facebook but I was told many people know to avoid those apps, but I guess they still had a lot of users. A few years ago there used to be viral things knocking about Facebook along the lines of > [@](#): > > What is your Porn Star name? :p:p:p > > Take the name of your first pet and combine it with your mother’s maiden name! > > Please share!!! OK, so that’s the answers to two very common security questions you’ve just shared to your friends and thousands of strangers. Oh, and your page is pretty open, so we’ve got your name, where you live, what schools you attended, when your birthday is. This identity theft thing is now a lot easier! ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-the-cambridge-analytica-files-meet-the-data-war-whistleblower/810809/24 "2018-03-21T01:56:29Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Alexander Nex stood down as CEO of Cambridge Analytica today. Still, he’s got other directorships to fall back on. Here’s one for a company called Emerdata: > > [https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10911848/officers](https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/10911848/officers) > > Does anyone know who Jennifer and Rebekah Mercer are? Because they got added as company officers only four days ago! Since Cambridge Analytica was a US spin off from SCL, I see this as meaningless unless he has been removed from his position at SCL as well as CA. As noted, the Mercers provided the funding to create Cambridge Analytica and brought Steve Bannon and Kellyanne Conway to the Trump campaign after Cruz failed to win the nomination. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-the-cambridge-analytica-files-meet-the-data-war-whistleblower/810809/25 "2018-03-21T06:40:26Z")
In case anyone hasn’t seen the BBC Channel 4 videos that started the whole uproar: [Cambridge Analytica Uncovered: Secret filming reveals election tricks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpbeOCKZFfQ) [Cambridge Analytica: Undercover Secrets of Trump’s Data Firm](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cy-9iciNF1A) [Cambridge Analytica: Whistleblower reveals data grab of 50 million Facebook profiles](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb6-xz-geH4) ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-the-cambridge-analytica-files-meet-the-data-war-whistleblower/810809/26 "2018-03-21T07:53:57Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > In case anyone hasn’t seen the BBC Channel 4 videos that started the whole uproar: Minor pedantry: Channel 4 is not a BBC station. It’s a separate, independent, statutory not-for-profit public service broadcaster, funded by advertising. ---
**Author:** ![JacobSwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@JacobSwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JacobSwan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-the-cambridge-analytica-files-meet-the-data-war-whistleblower/810809/27 "2018-03-21T09:47:31Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > Minor pedantry: Channel 4 is not a BBC station. It’s a separate, independent, statutory not-for-profit public service broadcaster, funded by advertising. Additional pedantry. They are state owned and allowed to make and keep up to 10% profit for future investment. Anything above that gets paid into the Treasury. It’s that State ownership that confuses a lot of foreigners as they automatically associate it with the BBC. Whereas a lot of UK people think it’s a private company like ITV, as it has adverts. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-the-cambridge-analytica-files-meet-the-data-war-whistleblower/810809/28 "2018-03-21T13:29:20Z")
Does anybody else wonder about this guy’s credibility as regards his own involvement? Not so much the data still existing; that appears to have been confirmed by Facebook. But when he’s asked if he deleted the data, his original answer is “I signed a form,” before he actually says he did it…and then claims 'You guys are looking in the wrong place" when he’s pressed on it. I smell CYA to high heaven. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-the-cambridge-analytica-files-meet-the-data-war-whistleblower/810809/29 "2018-03-21T16:01:49Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > It’s not clear to what extent the data even helped the Trump campaign and whether their psychographic profiles were particularly effective in shaping voters’ behavior. If I understand it correctly - and I admit there’s a chance I don’t - the problem for Facebook is that Cambridge Analytica had unauthorized access to that data. Facebook knew about the data breach but wasn’t concerned enough to really get off their duffs to do anything about it. On the radio today the example was that, while targeted advertising and fake news would not make many people switch sides, sending fake video clips of Hillary making racist statements to black people in a swing state, might have persuaded them not to vote at all. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-the-cambridge-analytica-files-meet-the-data-war-whistleblower/810809/30 "2018-03-21T16:20:53Z")
OK, I may be a cynic but I just assumed that if you had a Facebook profile you should expect to get targeted ads and information including targeted political ads. Sure they got the data by deception but if your Facebook is public they can get it anyway. That said, I’m pretty sure that their actions were unethical if not outright illegal. I am wondering how they coordinated with Parscale who was apparently running Trump’s digital campaign and is now in charge of the re-election campaign. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-the-cambridge-analytica-files-meet-the-data-war-whistleblower/810809/31 "2018-03-21T16:50:51Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > OK, so that’s the answers to two very common security questions you’ve just shared to your friends and thousands of strangers. Maybe we frequent different sites, but I don’t recall ever seeing “What is your Porn Star name?” as a security question on any site’s I’ve been to. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-the-cambridge-analytica-files-meet-the-data-war-whistleblower/810809/32 "2018-03-21T16:59:48Z")
> [@CurtC](#): > > Maybe we frequent different sites, but I don’t recall ever seeing “What is your Porn Star name?” as a security question on any site’s I’ve been to. No, but the way to come up with your porn name, “first pet” and “mother’s maiden name” are things that are sometimes asked as security questions. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-the-cambridge-analytica-files-meet-the-data-war-whistleblower/810809/33 "2018-03-21T17:22:19Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Just curious, for someone that hasn’t followed this issue closely, what does “basically bragging about being election fixers” actually sound like (meaning in their own words)? Is there a quote or a link to the video I could watch? Is this question for real? > **[Revealed: Trump’s election consultants filmed saying they use bribes and sex...](https://www.channel4.com/news/cambridge-analytica-revealed-trumps-election-consultants-filmed-saying-they-use-bribes-and-sex-workers-to-entrap-politicians-investigation)** > > An undercover investigation by 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. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-the-cambridge-analytica-files-meet-the-data-war-whistleblower/810809/34 "2018-03-21T20:50:29Z")
Having seen the video expose of CA, I don’t get the “bribery and blackmail” angle at all. If you watch the video it seems pretty clear that CA is not saying that they are going to bribe or blackmail anyone. They say that they can expose corrupt politicians (from the “other side”, of course) by secretly offering them bribes (or Ukranian hookers) which they can then release and thus undermine the other candidates. The ironic thing is that they were caught saying this to a media entity which was in the process of doing this exact same thing to them - entrapping them and using secret cameras to record their reactions and then expose them. But if you’re OK with this media doing it, then I don’t see why it suddenly becomes nefarious and evil when CA does the exact same thing. The only thing that looked bad to me from the video I saw was the CA guy saying that the truth didn’t matter and it’s all about emotion. But this is heavily dependent on the context in which he said it, which was not provided. That could be bad (if he suggested CA would knowingly spread lies) or completely benign (if he was just saying that focusing on the truth of your own message was insufficient because it wouldn’t be effective). ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-the-cambridge-analytica-files-meet-the-data-war-whistleblower/810809/35 "2018-03-21T23:33:28Z")
Offering bribes to public officials is a crime, even if you try to claim that you were just doing it out of the goodness of your heart and your deep, _deep_, respect for the democratic process. Of course, in the tapes, Nix and his colleagues claim to be doing it to influence elections, so their subsequent attempts to pretend that it was an act of public service ring a bit hollow. > [@Channel 4 link in Lemur's post](#): > > 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. > > In one exchange, when asked about digging up material on political opponents, Mr Nix said they could “send some girls around to the candidate’s house”, adding that Ukrainian girls “are very beautiful, I find that works very well”. > > In another he said: “We’ll offer a large amount of money to the candidate, to finance his campaign in exchange for land for instance, we’ll have the whole thing recorded, we’ll blank out the face of our guy and we post it on the Internet.” > > Offering bribes to public officials is an offence under both the UK Bribery Act and the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Cambridge Analytica operates in the UK and is registered in the United States. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-the-cambridge-analytica-files-meet-the-data-war-whistleblower/810809/36 "2018-03-22T00:26:41Z")
Zuckerberg on CNN tonight at 9 eastern [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-guardian-the-cambridge-analytica-files-meet-the-data-war-whistleblower/810809.md?page=1)