Data and Election Campaigning
| Published date | 01 June 2018 |
| Author | Nick Anstead |
| DOI | 10.1177/2041905818779333 |
| Date | 01 June 2018 |
32 POLITICAL INSIGHT • JUNE 2018
Recent news stories about the
use – and alleged abuse – of
personal data for the targeting of
political adverts reads like a pulp
political thriller, with a cast of characters
including investigative journalists, shadowy
political consultants, whistle blowers,
Russian operatives purportedly seeking to
subvert Western democracy, and seemingly
untouchable tech-billionaires. Add to this
heady mix a string of surprise election
results, notably the UK’s vote to leave the
European Union in June 2016 and the
Donald Trump’s victory in the Presidential
election of November 2016, and the
implication is clear: those victories were
illegitimately achieved through nefarious
means. Indeed, Christopher Wylie, the key
whistle blower at the centre of much of
the coverage of Cambridge Analytica, said
as much when speaking to the Commons
Select Committee for Digital, Culture, Media
Data and Election
Campaigning
From Trump to Brexit, the question of the role of data in major elections
has dominated headlines. But can we really say ‘it was Facebook wot
won it’? Nick Anstead examines the rise of data-driven politics and finds
that the medium alone does not explain the message’s success.
and Sport in the wake of revelations about
the data analytics firm’s involvement in
allegedly accessing data belonging to
some 87m Facebook users.
Against the backdrop of claim and
counter-claim, it is important to be clear
on the actual accusations being made.
Broadly, claims made in the British press
fit into two categories. The first relates to
Cambridge Analytica and misuse of data
illegitimately obtained from Facebook.
It was these accusations that led to the
Information Commissioner’s Office raiding
Cambridge Analytica’s London office.
Second, and more specifically focused on
political practices, is the allegation that
Vote Leave (the officially designated pro-
© Press Association
Political Insight June 2018 NEW.indd 32 02/05/2018 15:40
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