by Rajeev Srinivasan
We are seeing a watershed instant inward the history of the work of private information to stealthily subvert the democratic process, in addition to Facebook in addition to its tech friends may facial expression upwards a serious backlash. Whether this volition survive persuade lethargic regulators inward India, to position inward identify regulations virtually information protection, remains to live seen. There has been a lot of trace of piece of work organisation virtually how the cavalier work of client information past times diverse technology scientific discipline platforms tin atomic number 82 to unforeseen consequences, in addition to at that topographic point possess got been calls to restrain the ways information is captured, analysed in addition to stored. I possess got been peculiarly concerned virtually the agency Indian client information is flowing to Chinese in addition to American entities, equally I mentioned inward these pages before (Tech giants in addition to data: Is Republic of Republic of India giving away a treasure trove of information virtually its citizens?)
We are seeing a watershed instant inward the history of the work of private information to stealthily subvert the democratic process, in addition to Facebook in addition to its tech friends may facial expression upwards a serious backlash. Whether this volition survive persuade lethargic regulators inward India, to position inward identify regulations virtually information protection, remains to live seen. There has been a lot of trace of piece of work organisation virtually how the cavalier work of client information past times diverse technology scientific discipline platforms tin atomic number 82 to unforeseen consequences, in addition to at that topographic point possess got been calls to restrain the ways information is captured, analysed in addition to stored. I possess got been peculiarly concerned virtually the agency Indian client information is flowing to Chinese in addition to American entities, equally I mentioned inward these pages before (Tech giants in addition to data: Is Republic of Republic of India giving away a treasure trove of information virtually its citizens?) However, until the Cambridge Analytica instance blew upwards so spectacularly, at that topographic point hasn’t been a concrete instance of information affecting something politicians genuinely assist about: losing elections. So at in ane lawsuit calls for rule volition live positively deafening.
The allegation virtually Cambridge Analytica, based on information from a whistleblower named Chris Wylie, is that it has (possibly illegally, in addition to almost for certain unethically) used deep information virtually fifty meg voters (some say it is almost all 230 meg U.S. voters), gathered from their Facebook feeds in addition to their friends’ Facebook feeds, to influence them inward subtle ways. The argue this is causing an uproar, is because at that topographic point is a conduct chances that Steve Bannon, a quondam Trump aide, may good possess got influenced these voters to plump for President Donald Trump.
But that partisan signal has resonance inward Republic of Republic of India equally well, because the same Cambridge Analytica has been talked virtually past times the Indian National Congress equally its potential marketing partner. Even though at that topographic point is null definitive virtually an understanding betwixt them, but many intelligence stories advise they were inward late-stage discussions.
An intriguing proffer from a reader Anand was equally follows: a primal finish inward the U.S. crusade was “voter disengagement” in addition to persuading Democratic Party voters to “stay at home”. In the wake of the large give away of NOTAs (non of the above) inward Gujarat, in addition to the really depression turnout inward Gorakhpur, is a similar ‘voter disengagement’ strategy beingness rolled out inward Republic of Republic of India equally well? Maybe in addition to then there’s a stealth crusade already inward identify inward Republic of Republic of India alongside Cambridge Analytica? Is this the preferred Congress tactic for 2019?
There was ever something a piddling sinister virtually Cambridge Analytica, in addition to people possess got mumbled darkly virtually its purpose inward the Brexit in addition to Trump campaigns. And at in ane lawsuit it appears equally though the suspicions had merit: Wylie, equally reported inward a detailed profile inward The Guardian, (part of the Cambridge Analytica Files, 17 March claims he “made Steve Bannon’s psychological warfare mindf*** tool”.
Wylie, the whistleblower, was employed past times SCL Elections, the nurture companionship of Cambridge Analytica, which is a articulation enterprise betwixt SCL Elections in addition to Robert Mercer, a hedge-fund billionaire in addition to an active supporter of Republican causes inward the US, equally good equally of Donald Trump. It turns out that (quoted from the to a higher identify Guardianstory):
…[SCL Elections’] expertise was inward “psychological operations” - or psyops - changing people’s minds non through sentiment but through “informational dominance”, a laid of techniques that rumour, disinformation in addition to faux news.
SCL Elections had used a similar suite of tools inward to a greater extent than than 200 elections around the world, mostly inward undeveloped democracies that Wylie would come upwards to recognise were unequipped to defend themselves. [emphasis mine]
India beingness ane of those “underdeveloped democracies” they toyed alongside makes me queasy. Yes, they used a measure state of war machine psy-war functioning to plough the information from those millions of Americans into a strong information warfare weapon. In essence, past times gaining an understanding of the private peculiarities of voters (for instance, through correlations such equally the ane that says leftists are to a greater extent than probable to purchase Nike shoes), they were able to tailor messages to individuals that would operate on their particular psychologies. By deeply analysing the Facebook data, they were able to extrapolate in addition to deduce many things virtually the users that are non obvious.
This form out of staggering extrapolation is non new: at that topographic point was a storey of late virtually how, past times simply analysing Uber traffic data, it was possible to figure out who was having an thing alongside whom! Thus our ‘digital footprint’ betrays us inward all sorts of ways. The dictum “data is the novel oil” is non only vacuous, it turns out. Also, a widely-reported storey inward Science showed that faux intelligence was half dozen times equally probable equally existent intelligence to become viral.
These revelations possess got already had an impact on Facebook, already embattled over accusations virtually faux news. It’s stock roughshod four per cent inward trading before exchanges opened; in addition to this is probable to growth the calls for accountability on the parts of several dominant technology scientific discipline companies, especially Facebook, Google in addition to Twitter. They possess got by in addition to large been able to claim that they are exactly platforms in addition to are hence non responsible for the content that is posted on them.
That declaration may non deal H2O anymore; increasingly alarmed regulators may impose rigid weather on privacy protection, equally envisaged inward the European information protection regulations that become into effect inward May. China, Vietnam, Singapore, etc. are considering similar regulations so that information virtually their citizens has to live maintained in-country. It is high fourth dimension Republic of Republic of India also imposed laws that insist that, equally inward the Chinese cyber-security law, insist that “personal information in addition to other of import information gathered or produced past times critical information infrastructure operators” should live stored inward mainland China, according to The Economist(Technopolitics, xv March).
In whatever case, I mean value nosotros are seeing a watershed instant inward the history of the work of private information to stealthily subvert the democratic process, in addition to Facebook in addition to its tech friends may facial expression upwards a serious backlash. Whether this volition survive persuade lethargic regulators inward India, to position inward identify regulations virtually information protection, remains to live seen. We tin only hope.
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