Here is another fun fact. Cambridge Analytica was founded 12/31/13. So you want to tell us again how Obama used them in his 2012 campaign? Of wait you meant Obama used facebook. But Trump used Cambridge Analytica, not facebook. Two different companies. So you meant to say Cambridge Analytica used facebook. When you choose to present an argument you need to be factual.

Apology accepted.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/mar/22/meghan-mccain/comparing-facebook-data-use-obama-cambridge-analyt/ 

The difference between the Trump and Obama campaigns is in how the data was collected. Both essentially did the same thing and it is a non-story in my opinion.

One last fact the information came from an app on facebook from the University of Cambridge. Phil, Obama came by the information in an honest ethical manner. Trump did not. If he had then this would be a non story.

The "Obama App" took info from the users photos, friends lists, and news feeds without the "friend's" permission. They then used this information to identify a person’s close friends, "which they then matched with offline public records." This allowed them to pick and choose which "friends" they would try to hit with political propoganda. This is your idea of honest and ethical?

He did win the Peace Prize and stuff... So he gets a free pass... 😟

I'm not cool with sneaky data collection, but unfortunately it is now a part of life. It has been for a very long time. Almost everything we use now collects data on us. Let us not forget that Republicans passed a bill early last year that allows our ISP's to basically track and sell our data to the highest bidder. This type of crap is here to stay and will continue to be a big part of the political process.

I placed in the 1977 Special Olympics in Motor Activity Training Program.

I got an ice cream cone but, do I get anything else? Like that free bathroom pass? =p~ [hug]

Ok, after a little more reading the Obama app did use friends info. So there is a large similarity. Even though those friends were voluntarily provided, they never agreed to being data mined. So now we are talking degrees of unethical. I have a problem with both. Obamas data mining should have been condemned. Trumps data mining is being condemned. This is a story.

Apology accepted... 😟

The story should be about how we can go about making this type of behavior illegal and not the end users of the data. Thanks largely to Trump and the current Republican majority, this type of stuff will be far more prevelant in the future. They have given ISP monopolies the keys to the castle, so to speak...not to mention the right to decide what content we can and cannot view online. If you're outraged now, buckle up.

Drafter, I was wrong. The details are somewhat different. Obama broke no facebook rules. Cambridge Analytics did. But the end result was the same unethical data collection.

What?

Here's an article from Reuters that lists a timeline...hope this helps...

https://www.reuters.com/article/facebook-cambridge-analytica/timeline-cambridge-analytica-lists-events-leading-to-facebook-data-row-idUSL3N1R45J1 

interesting....underhanded...but, really...in the end, I'm still "what?"

Anyone using Facebook who thinks they have 'private info' there is a candidate for a case study in 'self-deception'

I agree. Voters should get their info from sources other than Facebook...multiple sources...in order to make informed decisions.

The reality is that many (most?) voters are too lazy, and thus gullible...susceptible to being swayed by fake news.

They deserve to be represented by snake oil salesmen...

I wonder if anyone at cambridge that was bending the rules (I'm being nice) had anything to do with the campaign .... cough...cough...bannon

I used to get kinda pizzed when European countries were attacking US big tech....but as laissez-faire as I am, I do wonder at times if our biggest few (Amazon, Google, FB, etc.) aren't going to need some utility-like 'guidance' from our own feds...the power wielded by just those three is pretty scary - especially if, as it seems, it is lopsidedly 'progressive'

I have a feeling there may be some focus by the special counsel...some legal experts say if there was foreign involvement with Cambridge Analytica and the Trump campaign, then federal elections laws may have been violated...

is that new code for 'collusion'?

I swear if I never hear the word again, it will be too soon

Zuckerberg said they need to step up their internal protection measures because if they don't, they'll face regulations. It's possible that social media may lose credibility as a source of factual info among mature informed voters and revert back to "look at me" playgrounds. I hardly ever log in to Facebook anymore...lotsa cloying annoying and hateful drivel being spewed...