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Former Cambridge Analytica Employee Says Facebook Users Affected Could Be 'Much Greater Than 87 million' (theverge.com)

Posted by msmash on from the how-about-that dept.

Cambridge Analytica and its partners used data from previously unknown "Facebook-connected questionnaires" to obtain user data from the social media service, according to testimony from a former Cambridge Analytica employee. From a report: Brittany Kaiser provided evidence to the British Parliament today as part of a hearing on fake news. Kaiser, who worked on the business team at Cambridge Analytica's parent company until January of this year, wrote in a statement that she was "aware in a general sense of a wide range of surveys" used by Cambridge Analytica or its partners, and she said she believes the number of people whose Facebook data may have been compromised is likely higher than the widely reported 87 million.

3 of 45 comments (clear)

  1. Still can't figure out ... by WoodstockJeff · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ... how information you GAVE AWAY to unknown people is "compromised", just because it was used by someone you may not have wanted to know it?

  2. The question I'm more interested in by damn_registrars · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How many non-users did Cambridge get information on? It's been known for some time - and was admitted in congress recently - that facebook has profiles for non-users as well as actual users. For myself and ... well, I'm told repeatedly that I am the only remaining person alive between the age of 8 and 80 who doesn't have a profile there ... it would be really interesting to know if Cambridge got information on "us" as well.

    --
    Damn_registrars has no butt-hole. Damn_registrars has no use for a butt-hole.
  3. Re:Honest question by Quantum+gravity · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is what Christopher Wylie (The whistleblower in the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica scandal) has to say about it:

    "So whenever you go, and you like something, you are giving me a clue as to who you are as a person. And so all of this can be captured very easily and run through an algorithm that learns who you are. When you go to work - right? - your co-workers only see one side of you. Your friends only see one side of you. But a computer sees all kinds of sides of you. And so we can get better than human level accuracy at predicting your behavior."