It’s 2020. And the Cambridge Analytica story? It’s growing… | Make Me Smart #145 | Brittany Kaiser

Disinformation

Brittany Kaiser, a former employee of Cambridge Analytica, highlights the ongoing threat of disinformation campaigns on elections, emphasizing their global reach and potential to undermine democracy. She stresses that despite efforts since 2016, improvements in combating disinformation are lacking, and the situation could worsen by the 2020 elections 1. Kaiser advocates for technological solutions to identify disinformation, noting that domestic threats, rather than foreign, pose the greatest risk to democracy 2.

The biggest threat to our democracy is domestic, not foreign.

--- Brittany Kaiser

She argues that uninformed voters are a significant concern, urging for more diligence in verifying information 2.

   

Big Data

The role of big data in political campaigns is scrutinized, with Kaiser revealing how psychographic targeting was used to influence voter behavior. She explains that while traditional demographics like age and gender are common, psychographics allow for more personalized messaging, which can be both effective and dangerous 3. Kaiser points out that digital literacy is crucial, as many people are unaware of how their data is used to manipulate their perceptions and decisions 4.

The negative campaigning using psychographics was the most successful achievement.

--- Brittany Kaiser

She criticizes platforms like Facebook for not moderating political ads, making users vulnerable to misinformation 4.