301 Week 3 Malice Domestic: The Cambridge Analytica Dystopia

What was the name of the Facebook app that Aleksandr Kogan created that harvested personal information from participants without they were taking a personality test?

Thisisyourdigitallife

Give three examples of devious methods to subvert the Public's electoral preference in the past elections that were presented in the article.

The phony "Canuck letter" to discredit Edmund Muskie; George H.W. Bush/Lee Atwater's "Willie Horton ad" against Michael Dukakis; the 2002 New Hampshire Senate election phone-jamming scandal (also acceptable: Nixon's "dirty tricks"; pro-Gore hackers' attack on the RNC website; the "Defeat Crooked Hillary" super PAC project)

List three examples of how political tactics may manipulate voting that were mentioned in the article.

Gerrymandering; manipulating wait times via selective allocation of voting machines/polling times; use of purge lists or contrary voter ID requirements (also: reduced mail-in/early voting opportunities; closed primaries; selective voter challenges; vote dilution through redistricting; micro-targeting of malleable voters)

What political tactic was used by Cambridge Analytica?

Microtargeting voters based on personal stances on political topics.

In her bestseller Weapons of Mass Destruction, Kathy O'Neil criticize big data analyticians for concealing what?

Human prejudices, biases, and agendas that can contextualize the data being analyzed.

Bolsover and Howard — three ways computational propaganda changed the landscape:

1. Removal of geographical barriers puts international propaganda in the hands of anyone with an Internet connection

2. Anonymity obscures sources and subverts verification

3. Automation adds incredible efficiency to misinformation messaging

Heart of the problem with computational propaganda (per both O'Neil and Bolsover/Howard):

The corruption and misuse of data analysis — flawed models, biases, prejudices, and hidden agendas intentionally injected into the analytics to manipulate outcomes

Author's definition of computational propaganda:

The use of digital media and other online resources to promote propaganda that is both efficient and unnoticed (i.e., the propaganda won't be recognized as propaganda)

Difference in emphasis between advertising 100 years ago and today:

Advertising of the past focused on product quality, and now focuses on life-style compatibility and self-image

What is the difference in emphasis between advertising 100 years ago and today?

Advertising of the past focused on product quality, and now focuses on life-style compatibility and self-image

Who are the real customers of free online services?

Advertisers and marketers