Cambridge Analytica Planned To Launch Its Own Cryptocurrency (theverge.com)

Cambridge Analytica, the data analytics firm that harvested millions of Facebook profiles of U.S. voters, attempted to develop its own cryptocurrency this past year and intended to raise funds through an initial coin offering. The digital coin would have helped people store online personal data and even sell it, former Cambridge Analytica employee Brittany Kaiser told The New York Times. The Verge reports: Cambridge Analytica, which obtained the data of 87 million Facebook users, was hoping to raise as much as $30 million through the venture, anonymous sources told Reuters. Cambridge Analytica confirmed to Reuters that it had previously explored blockchain technology, but did not confirm the coin offering and didn't say whether efforts are still underway. The company also reportedly attempted to promote another digital currency behind the scenes. It arranged for potential investors to take a vacation trip to Macau in support of Dragon Coin, a cryptocurrency aimed at casino players. Dragon Coin has been supported by a Macau gangster Wan Kuok-koi, nicknamed Broken Tooth, according to documents obtained by the Times. Cambridge Analytica started working on its own initial coin offering mid-2017 and the initiative was overseen in part by CEO Alexander Nix and former employee Brittany Kaiser. The company's plans to launch an ICO were still in the early stages when Nix was suspended last month and the Facebook data leak started to gain public attention.

Comments

1st didnâ(TM)t in a summary

[Anonymous Coward]

How bout not posting story summaries with your GOD DAMNED IPHONE!!!!!!!!!!

Re:1st didnâ(TM)t in a summary

[Anonymous Coward]

IMO, this scandal should result in the firing of BeauHD as an editor.

Let him continue to sit around doing nothing and collecting a paycheck if you want (in other words, no actual change to his job description), but don't let him approve submissions anymore.

Re:1st didnâ(TM)t in a summary

[lucm]

That's our man BeauHD!

BeauHD is not a man. BeauHD is a poorly written AppleScript running from an unpatched mac mini hidden in a closet in one of the Apple Stores.

So definitely it's a business plan.

[OpenSourced]

Their mission statement must read something like: "To exploit and profit from misguided public trust in any recent data or computing platform, before their lack of any safeguard becomes widely known"

Next step, I suppose they will turn into something AI related, like predictive-algorithm-guided stock investing or something equally juicy.

Corrupto-Currency

[Anne Thwacks]

No need to worry. At least we can be sure this one is a Corrupto-Currency.

Cambridge Analyica should be shut down

[FudRucker]

and the FBI confiscate all their computer hardware, desktops, laptops, storage systems, EVERYTHING and inspected for illegal activity then run through a shredder. All their employees personal electronics confiscated and searched and if any employee has any data on other people they be arrested and investigated for identity theft, and the whole outfit shut down, they are basically criminals

E Corp ?

[Liquid Len]

Man, I'm watching Mr Robot these days, and Cambridge Analytica looks more and more to me like a real-life version of E Corp... http://mrrobot.wikia.com/wiki/...

Re:Wow!

[rtb61]

Like that kind of comment went out last millennium. People kinda of should be free to express themselves via their attire and style, their choice. There should not be cause to not hire or fire someone, unless it breaches common decency, properly covered, no genitalia exposed and that would have to include camel toe and stuffing socks down your shorts. So dress or kilt or caftan or what ever should be OK for either sex and you hair colour and style, as long as it is not a pack of snakes who cares.

Why did they want to do crypto currency, because they had a database full of gullible cryptocurrency buyers, they knew the best marketing angle for each and they could suck them into buying a ton of them, as simple as that. Rather than sell that information, they decided to exploit those weaknesses themselves, still wildly scummy though, I mean really, really scummy. A real pack of pommie crooks. The poms (Prisoner Of his/her Majesty, you don't write the 'H' but you sound it) have really be sticking to the septic tanks and make no mistake. From Blair riding the Shrub to war instead of talking him out of it, to the latest debacle, the work of the poms to make a profit out of the war on terror. They have been spending bugger all and even this time around when they actually started it (right down the the white helmets they control and the Skripal BZ incident) they spent the least and the US was sucked in to spend the most, by far (although, they were taking the opportunity presented by the poms to tests Russian (2nd string) air defence systems, to decide whether or not to directly attack Russian forces in Syria, which is now a definite no).

Israel, UK, Saudi Arabia, how many countries are fucking over the USA?