38 votes

Data leak reveals Trump campaign strategy to deter millions of Black Americans from voting in 2016

6 comments

  1. [3]
    andre
    Link
    In 2016, the RNC used an algorithm on the Cambridge Analytica data of 200 million Americans to classify people into 8 different groups, one of which was labeled "deterrence". The £44 million worth...

    In 2016, the RNC used an algorithm on the Cambridge Analytica data of 200 million Americans to classify people into 8 different groups, one of which was labeled "deterrence". The £44 million worth of ads purchased on Facebook, some of which was used in voter suppression, disproportionately targeted people of color:

    In Georgia, despite Black people constituting 32% of the population, they made up 61% of the ‘Deterrence’ category. In North Carolina, Black people are 22% of the population but were 46% of ‘Deterrence’. In Wisconsin, Black people constitute just 5.4% of the population but made up 17% of ‘Deterrence’.

    Due to a FB "feature" called "dark posts", there is no full record of which ads were served to which people.

    Surely though, the men and women of the Republican party, known across the country for being people with integrity, have now denounced such tactics and will be encouraging all citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote, right?

    Two senior members of the Cambridge Analytica team are working on the Trump 2020 campaign.

    lol whoops my bad

    14 votes
    1. [2]
      Akir
      Link Parent
      Fuck, Facebook isn't even trying to hide how evil they are anymore, are they?

      FB "feature" called "dark posts"

      Fuck, Facebook isn't even trying to hide how evil they are anymore, are they?

      9 votes
      1. kfwyre
        Link Parent
        I know it's minor, relatively speaking, and I know that I shouldn't expect anything besides "corporate speak" on this, but I'm still more bothered than I should be by the wording of the Facebook...

        I know it's minor, relatively speaking, and I know that I shouldn't expect anything besides "corporate speak" on this, but I'm still more bothered than I should be by the wording of the Facebook spokesperson:

        what happened with Cambridge Analytica couldn’t happen today

        It echoes exactly the language that bothered me in their widely shown apology ad. They identify the bad outcomes experienced on and because of their platforms as things that just "happened" on their own -- like weather -- as if they had no role in that themselves.

        8 votes
  2. [3]
    acdw
    Link
    I don't want to live in this country anymore.

    I don't want to live in this country anymore.

    9 votes
    1. [2]
      0d_billie
      Link Parent
      I know the feeling. I have an American friend fighting for leave to remain in the UK at the moment, because she desperately doesn't want to go back. That said, I can't see why she'd prefer the UK,...

      I know the feeling. I have an American friend fighting for leave to remain in the UK at the moment, because she desperately doesn't want to go back. That said, I can't see why she'd prefer the UK, we're just as much of a shitshow at the moment too, and we've got a guaranteed 4 more years of this bollocks to look forward to.

      4 votes
      1. acdw
        Link Parent
        It might be a "devil you know vs the devil you don't," or a "grass is greener" situation? (Wow, two cliches in one morning, I'm on a roll!) From the ground here at least it looks like we're...

        I can't see why she'd prefer the UK

        It might be a "devil you know vs the devil you don't," or a "grass is greener" situation? (Wow, two cliches in one morning, I'm on a roll!) From the ground here at least it looks like we're dangerously close to all-out civil war or something. Is the UK that far along?

        2 votes