A. C. Grayling: Cambridge Analytica’s Influence on Trump & Brexit Voters 

Good. I ended my acount months ago.

Can you honestly say you haven't 'liked' or commented on anything on social media?

yes but nothing like the scale and sophistication it can be done with the internet, algorithms and now AI

To be fair it's not just Trump and the Republicans at it. Trump has just been caught doing something illegal.

AI fan they fail to understand that there is no democracy.

@@TheGodlessGuitaristWhat was illegal about it? It’s Target Audience analysis. Every advertising agency does it.

No both sides are not illegally using Facebook data.

@@waltermcphee3787Yes they are.

The idea is something like this. 13% of UK population is in London so 13% of referendum voters should be Londoners. That 13% will be among the most pro remain in UK. So a strategy to help leave win is to try to suppress the London vote. If londoners vote in fewer numbers than elsewhere they might become only 10% of the nationwide vote, reducing the overall remain vote.

@@Guaguanco11 Carol Catwalder did some stories about how they accomplished the task. Robert Mercer now seems to charge folks to use his methods. Joni Ernst was promoted by Mercer and retained her Committee Position in the US Senate. Josh Hawley was another Mercer promotion. The Crown on his Renaissance Noggin was when Mercer dropped Trump in 2020, basically proving that Trump was enabled by the Mercer Team. Trumps Transition Team included Rebekah Mercer, who appeared to name drop who was desired. Bannon was a integral part of the team, but they maintain a certain tasteful distance so Bannon can harvest the Bullet Headed Gunsels Vote. The subtle methods are impeccable, and I suspect the Mercer Organization had their fingers in the Electoral Knickers of Ursula Van Der loon. Directing voter thoughts is big business..... Why do you suppose Robert Mercer quit his Day Job?

He proposes greater transparency, that doesn't inherently benefit one side or the other. Also he does say that remainers were targeted by such techniques- with messages like "you don't have to vote, remain will win easily".

Edward Kirkhope. You could ask yourself the same question. If these tactics are used in a context in which 'your side' comes worse off, will you be equally approving of them? The real debate is not whether Grayling would be equally outraged had 'his side' won (clue - he's human), but whether these covert tactics are ethical or not.Your post attacks the man, not the point, and just seems like more 'this side, that side' mud slinging and rhetoric to me. Maybe you could pretend that instead of Grayling, it's actually someone you admire and trust making the same point, and then see how you feel.

Edward Kirkhope CA is linked to right wing groups ... you think this is good for a free democracy? They brag about blackmail and bribery...

WRONG. As in ALL cases of a reply like YOURS, HERE.... YOU miss the point of it all. It would be ok, AND THE SAME as advertising has been, as you say, except for one major difference, it is NOT TRANSPARENT. IT IS MANIPULATIVE. Your comment has no merit.

Edward Kirkhope you were not listening, he stated that the psychological techniques were used to sway undecided voters not leave voters. You people and your false straw man arguments.

I see this train of thought everywhere, so I'm not really hoping to change much. But, just in case there are a few people who are on the verge of coming back to the Light side of the Force.. heres the difference. - Obama used data analytics to understand what were the shortcomings in his messaging and campaign. Also, his campaign team gathered data through ethical, transparent means. - Trump and Cambridge Analytica stole data that was gathered through unethical means. Furthermore, CA lied to Facebook about deleting said data. Worst of all, Trump and CA used the gathered information to twist facts, spread lies, and used fearmongering to target the most gullible of our fellow Americans. Its a big fucking difference.

@@trefader32Nah. It’s really the same.

It’s truth, though.

I can't stand AC Grayling. He's just barking mad and can't accept he lost.

Not true. The misinformation is so insidiously delivered that it can sway all kinds of people. And even if it only affected the weak minded, as you say, that does not make it less effective. You do not have to change everyone´s mind, sometimes a few thousand people is all you need.

which is a lot of people

His observation is that technology exploiting weaknesses in personal privacy online allowed private interests to collate data on you to mislead you about the candidates to vote for the one that would benefit them.... If you think lying to people to get power to make yourself money is 'politics'... I would thank Trump and Co for that.

No, the main thesis is that Trump had used a psy ops specialist to crack and exploit people's weaknesses mentally to influence them. This is dangerous and unethical on many levels.