UK authorities seek warrant to search Cambridge Analytica offices

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's data protection authority plans to seek a warrant to search the offices on Tuesday of London-based political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica, UK Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham told Channel 4 News on Monday.

 

Channel 4 broadcast secretly taped interviews with senior Cambridge Analytica executives in which they boasted of their ability to sway elections in countries around the world with a menu of digital manipulation and traditional political trickery.

 

"I think we should all be shocked by this," Denham told Channel 4.

 

The Information Commissioner's Office is conducting a broad probe into the use of personal data in British political campaigns, which Denham said concerned both Cambridge Analytica, Facebook and 30 different organisations and political parties.

 

The New York Times and the British Observer newspaper reported on Saturday that the political analytics firm had harvested private data on more than 50 million Facebook users to support Donald Trump's 2016 presidential election campaign.

 

Cambridge Analytica and its executives did not immediately respond to requests by Reuters for comment.

 

(Reporting by Eric Auchard in London; Editing by Georgina Prodhan)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-03-20

British Journalists and American porn stars may bring Trump down before Mueller does.

 

also:

 

Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla)

3/20/18, 3:30 AM

If you are watching the Cambridge Analytica story unfold, please please support our journalism. We’ve fought off 3 legal threats from CA & 1 from Facebook. It’s a whole year’s work & we gave it to @Channel4News & @nytimes for the greater good. We need you!
support.theguardian.com 

pic.twitter.com/hhWfeTLd7r

 

 

AND

 

Kevin Beaumont, Esquire✔@GossiTheDog

Breaking: Channel 4 just announced they’re airing another undercover film tomorrow where Cambridge Analytica say they won the election for Donald Trump and describe how. This is a car crash airing live on TV. Journalism matters.

2:37 AM - Mar 20, 2018 · Manchester, England

Edited March 20, 20188 yr by Thakkar

 

Amy Siskind✔@Amy_Siskind

Watching how swiftly the UK Parliament is moving on Cambridge Analytica while our Republican-led Congress refuses to even hold hearings is everything on how broken our government is right now. These people need to be voted out of office!

6:33 AM - Mar 20, 2018

 

 

or, in terms Trump might appreciate:

 

The UK parliament is moving on Cambridge Analytica like a b!tch.

1 hour ago, Thakkar said:

 

Amy Siskind✔@Amy_Siskind

Watching how swiftly the UK Parliament is moving on Cambridge Analytica while our Republican-led Congress refuses to even hold hearings is everything on how broken our government is right now. These people need to be voted out of office!

6:33 AM - Mar 20, 2018

 

 

or, in terms Trump might appreciate:

 

The UK parliament is moving on Cambridge Analytica like a b!tch.

Not the usual way round.

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Cambridge Analytica and its executives did not immediately respond to requests by Reuters for comment.

Need to come up with more believable lies than to date.

Rather nasty company. 

Quote

"Send some girls around to the candidates house” EXCLUSIVE: This is how Cambridge Analytica bosses reacted when our reporter brought up the subject of digging dirt on political opponents. #CambridgeAnalyticaUncovered

 

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-43465700

 

"Facebook said Aleksandr Kogan, the creator of the personality app from which the data had been harvested, had agreed to be audited, but Mr Wylie - who made the claims about the way the data was gathered and used - had declined."

 

So, Kogan (one of the accused) has nothing to hide. But Wylie (the accuser/whistleblower) does have something to hide. Interesting.

Tell them in advance that you are seeking a warrant to search their offices. Great idea?

4 hours ago, oilinki said:

"Send some girls around to the candidates house”

 

"Ukrainian girls, we have a lot of experience doing this."

 

Yes, once we spring them from the Thai jail.

 

Evidently, Facebook 'fixers' showed up in the U.K. looking to cover up any sort of data breach before this thing spirals, but they were intercepted.

 

I'm imagining Mark Zuckerberg saying "I don't recall" a few hundred times during his congressional testimony next month. Hopefully, he'll spare us his lecture on how FB is integral to "transparency".

 

 

 

Edited March 20, 20188 yr by mtls2005

49 minutes ago, Khun Han said:

So, Kogan (one of the accused) has nothing to hide.

 

I think Aleksandr Kogan, or should I say Dr. Spectre (I think he legally changed his name to Spectre, if you can believe it!) has a lot to hide. But he has offered to testify before Congress, 

 

http://money.cnn.com/2018/03/19/technology/cambridge-analytica-scientist-aleksandr-kogan/index.html

 

assuming he doesn't meet a grisly end first.

 

 

 

https://www.spin.com/2018/03/dr-spectre-cambridge-analytica-perfect-trump-villain/

 

 

 

I just can't fathom why Lukoil would be interested in affecting U.S. voters? /justkidding #nocollusion

 

Not sure how much traction this will have in Trump's case and I suspect it will have no traction at all concerning the referendum result.  However it all adds gravitas to the case building against the POTUS and that can only be a good thing.

29 minutes ago, Khun Han said:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-43465700

 

"Facebook said Aleksandr Kogan, the creator of the personality app from which the data had been harvested, had agreed to be audited, but Mr Wylie - who made the claims about the way the data was gathered and used - had declined."

 

So, Kogan (one of the accused) has nothing to hide. But Wylie (the accuser/whistleblower) does have something to hide. Interesting.

I'm not sure you understand the issues here....

The point is that for machine learning (pattern recognition /neural networks) large data sets are required

 

Now if you are Tesco, you already have large data sets of purchasing choices and can target customers

 

If you are Nationwide, you have large data sets for previous mortgages. You can use a neural network to take decisions based on your own previous lending experience

 

Same with futures, bonds or what ever.....

 

But if you dont have large data sets, what to do?

 

Well you could trick dumb Facebook users with a psychological test including signing your rights away!

 

But if you collude with Facebook or another social media scammer, you better be rock solid with your permissions to use data!!!

 

Off course the system that Cambridge Analytica sells to Trump or May or who ever WILL NOT CONTAIN any user data. The data will have been USED to train the system!

 

I do hope we have some smart people at data protection....

 

With the lack of knowledge on correlations in particular and statistics generally, as often seen, the authorities may be in some difficulty.

 

I'll bet Zuckerberg takes robust action to limit any damage to his baby!

 

Edited March 20, 20188 yr by Grouse