March 2018: Cambridge Analytica scandal shakes Facebook

March 17, 2018, marked a turning point for data security and privacy on the [Internal Link Placeholder]. The [Internal Link Placeholder] outlets The Guardian and The [Internal Link Placeholder] Times exposed an extensive [Internal Link Placeholder] that sent shockwaves globally. Not a traditional [Internal Link Placeholder] attack, but a sophisticated data collection operation, where personal information from up to 87 million Facebook users was illegally harvested by the analytics firm Cambridge Analytica. This case, known as the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica [Internal Link Placeholder], laid bare how [Internal Link Placeholder] and personal data could become [Internal Link Placeholder] in a new era of information [Internal Link Placeholder].

The game starts (2013): Kogan's app opens data floodgate

The [Internal Link Placeholder] began in 2013 with a seemingly harmless Facebook app, "This Is Your Digital Life," developed by psychologist and data scientist Aleksandr Kogan. The app enticed around 270,000 users to take a personality test. Unknowingly, they not only granted access to their own data but also, via a then-existing feature in Facebook's Open Graph API, to data from their friends' profiles. This mechanism allowed for an exponential collection of personal information.

The masterminds: Wylie, SCL Group, and data warfare plan

In Cambridge, UK, data expert Christopher Wylie saw the potential in Aleksandr Kogan's data collection. Wylie worked for SCL Group, a company with a background in [Internal Link Placeholder] strategy. He envisioned combining the collected Facebook data with psychological profiles to create targeted political [Internal Link Placeholder], designed for subtle [Internal Link Placeholder] of voters' emotions. Together with billionaire Robert Mercer and Alexander Nix, CEO of SCL's subsidiary Cambridge Analytica, the project was launched.

Pandora's box (2014-2015): Cambridge's data algorithm ready

In 2014 and 2015, Kogan's app systematically continued to harvest data from Facebook's network. Simultaneously, Cambridge Analytica developed advanced algorithms. These algorithms could allegedly predict political inclinations based on a person's digital footprint, such as "likes" and online behavior. Christopher Wylie later called it "opening Pandora's box" and warned that the collected data became [Internal Link Placeholder] in an information war, designed to exploit voter vulnerabilities.

Political manipulation: Analytica's role in Trump, Brexit

Cambridge Analytica's methods became central to [Internal Link Placeholder] when Donald Trump's [Internal Link Placeholder] campaign in the US hired the firm in 2016. Whistleblowers later revealed how targeted ads were used in key states like [Internal Link Placeholder] and [Internal Link Placeholder]. The goal was allegedly to manipulate the election by appealing to voters' fears. Similar tactics involving misinformation are believed to have been used during the Brexit campaign in the UK.

Revelation: Wylie leaks evidence to The Guardian in 2018

The extent of this data misuse [Internal Link Placeholder] hidden until spring 2018, when whistleblower Christopher Wylie, plagued by his conscience, came forward. He contacted journalist Carole Cadwalladr of The Observer (part of The Guardian [Internal Link Placeholder] group) and presented extensive [Internal Link Placeholder] in the form of internal documents. These revealed Cambridge Analytica's methods and Facebook's inadequate response. Facebook had already been warned in 2015 but merely asked Cambridge Analytica to delete the illegally collected data – without any real follow-up.

Global shockwaves: Zuckerberg scrutinized, #DeleteFacebook

The revelations triggered a global [Internal Link Placeholder]. Facebook's CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, had to testify under critical hearings in the US Congress, where politicians condemned the company's handling of the situation. Zuckerberg lamented "a serious breach of trust," but public anger was massive. Facebook's stock price plummeted, #DeleteFacebook trended, and international authorities launched investigations into this [Internal Link Placeholder].

Consequences: Facebook fined, Analytica bankrupt, Nix falls

The consequences of this [Internal Link Placeholder] were enormous. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) fined Facebook a record $5 billion for violations of user privacy. In the UK, Cambridge Analytica had to shut down after the data protection authority seized the company's servers, which contained crucial [Internal Link Placeholder]. Aleksandr Kogan and Alexander Nix were banned from Facebook. Nix's career suffered a blow after undercover recordings revealed his cynical methods for political [Internal Link Placeholder], which for some bordered on a form of systemic [Internal Link Placeholder] of the democratic process.

Price of mistrust: Analytica warns of data collection danger

This [Internal Link Placeholder] affected millions of [Internal Link Placeholder] users who felt their trust in Facebook had been betrayed. The story of Cambridge Analytica became a symbol of the dangers of uncontrolled data collection and the growing importance of personal data as a resource – and a weapon – in modern information [Internal Link Placeholder] and [Internal Link Placeholder]. As journalist Carole Cadwalladr pointed out, the case was about the distribution of power in the digital age.

Aftermath: Analytica's legacy and Wylie's digital warning

Even after Cambridge Analytica was dissolved and the fines were paid, questions about the ownership and security of our digital data and online activities remain central. This [Internal Link Placeholder] and its revelations about [Internal Link Placeholder] and [Internal Link Placeholder] are still relevant. For whistleblower Christopher Wylie, who helped expose the misuse, the case is a constant reminder: "We built a monster wave. Now we must learn to surf it without being swallowed."

Sources:

• businessinsider.com
• pbs.org
• time.com
• ftc.gov
• ftc.gov

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