Morning Jolt: Is Cambridge Analytica Really an ‘Information Weapon’ in a ‘Data War’?

Assuming all the reporting is accurate, Cambridge Analytica used Facebook data that was supposed to be off-limits to it. The firm allegedly paid Cambridge professor Aleksandr Kogan to collect the data on Facebook users and claim it was being used for academic purposes; in reality, Kogan collected and passed along 50 million individual profiles that "could be matched to electoral rolls. It then used the test results and Facebook data to build an algorithm that could analyze individual Facebook profiles and determine personality traits linked to voting behavior."

No doubt, this is a breach of contract. No doubt, this is unethical. This is going to generate slews of lawsuits.

But does this really constitute manipulating the election, or a form of "data war" or a new "information weapon"? How is this significantly different from any other form of campaign ...

March 19 2018

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Is Cambridge Analytica Really an 'Information Weapon' in a 'Data War'? Jim Geraghty Assuming all the reporting is accurate, Cambridge Analytica used Facebook data that was supposed to be off-limits to it. The firm allegedly paid Cambridge professor Aleksandr Kogan to collect the data on Facebook users and claim it was being used for academic purposes; in reality, Kogan collected and passed along 50 million individual profiles that "could be matched to electoral rolls. It then used the test results and Facebook data to build an algorithm that could analyze individual Facebook profiles and determine personality traits linked to voting behavior." No doubt, this is a breach of contract. No doubt, this is unethical. This is going to generate slews of lawsuits. But does this really constitute manipulating the election, or a form of "data war" or a new "information weapon"? How is this significantly different from any other form of campaign ... Read More Top Stories The Pope Francis Challenge Kathryn Jean Lopez Don't let distractions endanger the... Why States Should Abandon the 'Free College' Movement Jennifer E. Walsh Why States Should Abandon the 'Free College' Movement ADVERTISEMENT It's Time to Attack Putin's Soft Underbelly John Fund Putin's biggest asset isn't his iron grip on Russian... The Efficacy and Morality of Targeted Killings Ronen Bergman Rethinking state-sponsored... CRISPR Will Make GMOs Ubiquitous Blake Hurst Look forward to many positive changes in... ADVERTISEMENT What NR is Reading The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger Marc Levinson "This book is dynamite. . .Marc Levinson's sparkling and authoritative story is great fun to read, but it is spectacular economic history as well." — Peter L. Bernstein, author of Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk LEARN MORE Photo Essays Blooms of Spring Cartoons of the Day: March 15th, 2018 ADVERTISEMENT Follow Us & Share 19 West 44th Street, Suite 1701, New York, NY, 10036, USA Your Preferences | Unsubscribe | Privacy View this e-mail in your browser.