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Twitter Sold Data Access To Cambridge Analytica-Linked Researcher (bloomberg.com)

Posted by msmash on from the me-too dept.

Facebook is clearly the company most affected by the Cambridge Analytica data sharing scandal, but that doesn't leave other social networks completely unscathed. Bloomberg: Twitter sold data access to the Cambridge University academic who also obtained millions of Facebook users' information that was later passed to a political consulting firm without the users' consent. Aleksandr Kogan, who created a personality quiz on Facebook to harvest information later used by Cambridge Analytica, established his own commercial enterprise, Global Science Research (GSR). That firm was granted access to large-scale public Twitter data, covering months of posts, for one day in 2015, according to Twitter. "In 2015, GSR did have one-time API access to a random sample of public tweets from a five-month period from December 2014 to April 2015," Twitter said in a statement to Bloomberg. "Based on the recent reports, we conducted our own internal review and did not find any access to private data about people who use Twitter." The company has removed Cambridge Analytica and affiliated entities as advertisers. Twitter said GSR paid for the access; it provided no further details.

24 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. All this is proving one thing - by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    people are sheep. Present company included.

    1. Re:All this is proving one thing - by hey! · · Score: 1

      Well, people being sheep was given, but what all this proves is that social media companies are wolves.

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      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    2. Re:All this is proving one thing - by sexconker · · Score: 1

      No, here ate Slashdot we're cows. MOOOOOOOOOOOO.

  2. Scandal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's only a scandal because Hillary lost.

    1. Re: Scandal by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Exactly. The exact same company / tactic was used by Obama in 2012 ...

    2. Re: Scandal by kenh · · Score: 1

      The exact same company / tactic was used by Obama in 2012 ...

      Yes, but that was used to elect a black man, not a white one...

      --
      Ken
    3. Re: Scandal by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

      Can we quit it with the hair spitting to separate equivalent things? Even if Obama had more willing co-conspirators, not everybody who's data was collected volunteered.

      --
      John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
    4. Re: Scandal by kenh · · Score: 1

      No, we will not...

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      Ken
    5. Re: Scandal by ArchieBunker · · Score: 1

      Do some googling and restrict your searches to 2008-2012 and you'll see how Obama used "revolutionary" methods on social media to help his campaign. Hell Facebook even had a meeting with him. Today Trump uses it and the sky is falling.

      --
      Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
    6. Re: Scandal by ArchieBunker · · Score: 1

      The act of using Facebook gives them permission to collect your data.

      --
      Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
  3. This Is My Shocked Face by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    :o

    I still find it hilarious that Cambridge Analytica keeps getting raked over the coals. The collectors/aggregators of this information Facebook/Twitter/ChoicePoint are the real problems, at least after the stupid users.

    1. Re:This Is My Shocked Face by houstonbofh · · Score: 1

      Actually, every Tom, Dick, and Harry giving up all their personal information to find out what Disney princess they most resemble is the problem! None of my data was sold! But I have turned off platform apps in Facebook and do not take the stupid quizzes.

    2. Re:This Is My Shocked Face by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 2

      We can't talk about that... Because how else can we maintain the mantra of "Russia Russia Russia!" if, in fact, the source of the problem is a bunch of rich liberals from San Francisco, selling out data to the "opposition"?

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      Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
    3. Re:This Is My Shocked Face by houstonbofh · · Score: 1

      Yes, they sold what they had. Which is nothing other then the e-mail I used to register. No phone number. No location data. No contacts list. With no app installed, they have a lot less to mine.

  4. OMG! by kenh · · Score: 4, Insightful

    You mean companies with no discernable product other than the information their users share with them in exchange for free service sold that information to pay for the free service their users enjoy! Who could have seen this coming?

    --
    Ken
    1. Re: OMG! by kenh · · Score: 1

      Oh, did I forget my /sarcasm tag?

      Hillary was promised the White House just as soon as Barack Obama was done with it, problem was, her supporters are too clustered in too few states, hence she won the popular but lost the electoral vote. Too bad all her supporters like to cluster in the same few states.

      --
      Ken
  5. Reminds me of song... by TheZeitgeist · · Score: 1

    What's that hayseed song from Team America..."Freedom isn't free? It costs a hefty f*'kin fee." Song needs a rework "Facebook isn't free, the bill is data from you and me."

  6. Twitter by DivineKnight · · Score: 1

    Twitter -> "We did it for money!"

  7. KIll all 'social media' by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 2

    Do all of you not see that so-called 'social media' is a cancer on our civilzation? Get it out of your life starting with today, and encourage everyone you know to do the same. No such thing as 'safe' social media, it will all be abused no matter how many laws they pass.

  8. There's more, little brother by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 1

    There's much more.

    It's not just Twitter and FB, and the numbers they're admitting are far smaller than the numbers that they actually have released data on.

    Far, far smaller.

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    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
  9. Re:where is the illegality? by Destoo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I think the wrongdoings is that a UK company interfered with an US election.

    The issue is that Palantir technology (and probably data) was used by Cambridge Analytica. And THIS is what's scary. A UK based control of a US "Weapon of Mass Disruption".

    Read up the details on Bloomberg. https://www.bloomberg.com/feat...

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    Nouvelles de jeux et technologies en français. TC
  10. Social Media has its place by WoodstockJeff · · Score: 1

    Somewhere about 1200km deep in the atmosphere of Saturn would be about right.

  11. Re:where is the illegality? by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

    Did you feel the same way about Obama interfering with the Israeli election? Why or why not?

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  12. Re:where is the illegality? by Destoo · · Score: 1

    As a Canadian I don't feel. I just expose facts and logic. (sorry for that)

    Obama interfering with an Israeli Election is legal in the US.

    (I think.. Why would US legislate about stuff happening in another country's election?) If they did make a law against it, then yes it would be illegal.
    If they did not legislate, then it would be "unethical", but not illegal. Israel might have a law against it and it would be up to them to put pressure on the American government to stop.

    "A 2016 study by Dov Levin found that, among 938 global elections examined, the United States and Russia combined had involved themselves in about one out of nine (117), with the majority of those (68%) being through covert, rather than overt, actions."

    Russia, because yes Russia has a big probability of being the main actor here, don't care if a Donkey, an Elephant or the Easter Bunny is POTUS. They're playing a game and using disruption fits their goal.

    --
    Nouvelles de jeux et technologies en français. TC