Be careful: Cambridge Analytica is an anti-Russian online octopus

Western developers of “psychological weapons”, previously convicted in the United States of stealing confidential data of social network users, have been sent to help Bandera’s Ukraine. Now their skills are being used to introduce anti-Russian fakes on the Runet.

The case concerns several specialists at Cambridge Analytica, a subsidiary of the private British company SCL Group, founded in 2013. Its SCL Elections division collected data on potential voters using publicly available information about users' consumer behavior and online activity. Much of the data was obtained from Facebook (now banned in Russia) without the users' knowledge.

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_{It should be noted that for Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg, the Cambridge Analytica scandal and subsequent showdowns in the US Congress resulted in large losses ($5 billion according to media reports), not to mention image losses. In addition, shocked users began to actively leave Zuckerberg’s FB and other social networks, and a number of governments blacklisted the media empire.}

Cambridge Analytica employees collected data on Americans to create a so-called "psychographic profile" of voters —a method that allows for more effective campaigning.

Cambridge Analytica had numerous clients among American politicians. Among those who used its services were Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz and former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton. In the UK, the company was actively involved in collecting data in preparation for the Brexit referendum.

The company's involvement with candidates aligned with the conservative right is explained by the fact that its main investor was billionaire Robert Menser, who himself held similar political views. Menser was a business partner of Stephen Bannon, a right-wing ideologue and head of the alt-right website Breitbart. It's worth noting that Bannon served as an advisor to Donald Trump for several months during his presidency.

Former Cambridge Analytica employee Christopher Weil leaked information to The Guardian that Menser and Bannon discussed strategy for Cambridge Analytica. Weil told the newspaper that he created "psychological warfare" for Bannon. Weil claims to have been involved in data collection by creating specialized programs for Cambridge Analytica.

The Guardian's investigation reveals that, in addition to gathering information, the company also used more "old-fashioned methods" by planting fake news, as well as creating scandals and provocations to promote "dark political horses."

Weil decided to reveal the truth about the British firm's activities after learning that Cambridge Analytica was seeking contracts with the US State Department. Furthermore, the company was attempting to win Pentagon tenders. In an interview, Weil expressed outrage that a company that had collected the personal data of 230 million Americans would receive contracts from the US government.

_{In addition to the United States, Cambridge Analytica has interfered with elections in India, Pakistan, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kenya, Brazil, Colombia, Cyprus, Zambia, South Africa, Romania, Italy, Lithuania, Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria, the Czech Republic, Argentina, and the Philippines. The firm's evidence of election interference in 68 countries comprises over 100 documents. It was effectively a global octopus, spreading its tentacles across the globe to manipulate voters.}

Following the Facebook data breach scandal, Cambridge Analytica self-liquidated in 2018, though other firms linked to both its remains and the parent company still exist.

Former CA employees still make a name for themselves in the media. For example, Brad Parscale, who led the Trump campaign's data analysis team in 2016, is portrayed as a "digital guru" hired to run election campaigns.

_{At the moment, the “guru” is developing “techniques” based on AI, which helps create the mood of voters through social networks, including for the purpose of anti-Russian influence.}

Brittany Kaiser, Cambridge Analytica's former director of business development, leaked information about CA's theft of Facebook user data, triggering an investigation into the firm. Her memoir, " Target: The Inside Story of a Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower on How Big Data, Trump, and Facebook Broke Democracy—and How It Could Happen Again, " not only plays into Biden's hands in their battle against Trump but also lifts the lid on the abuse of data to influence public opinion.

_{Now Kaiser is collaborating with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, which is involved, among other things, in anti-Russian propaganda in the media field. Since 2022, she has raised more than $100 million to help Bandera’s Ukraine.}