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by bb88 2129 days ago
> You can influence groups of people like never before. Swing Elections & change governments. Influence public opinion about literally everything to no small degree.

Right, so, has Google done this? Asking because from what I remember the answer has been largely no, but I remember FB selling data to Cambridge Analytica in 2016.
4 comments
millimeterman 2129 days ago
Even this commonly parroted "fact" isn't true. Cambridge Analytica exploited a Facebook misfeature that let them scrape a frankly ridiculous amount of data from users who took their quiz thing. Certainly Facebook shouldn't have allowed random apps access to this user data, but straight up selling data would be an act of immense incompetence on Facebook's part. Their whole business is keeping the data to themselves and selling access to targeted advertising based on that data.
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Bukhmanizer 2128 days ago
Isn’t it also the case that FB didn’t allow CA to scrape data, but gave permission to a UK researcher who then sold the data to CA?
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bad_user 2128 days ago
No, Facebook shouldn't have collected the data in the first place, because leaks are inevitable.

It's not Facebook's incompetence to blame, no matter how much you try spinning it that way.

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zymhan 2128 days ago
I agree, but Facebook exists because of that data.
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bluecatswim 2128 days ago
I'm assuming you hadn't heard about this.

https://www.projectveritas.com/news/insider-blows-whistle-ex...

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Whatarethese 2128 days ago
Also Project Veritas so I'd be quite skeptical. They have history of doctoring footage and overall other sketchy practices.
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Maximus9000 2128 days ago
> Right, so, has Google done this?

Business is booming for Google right now. Imagine Google still have all of that data but are slowly going bankrupt and desperate for new business ideas.... and then Google is approached by a company with ethics and practices like Cambridge Analytica?

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minimuffins 2129 days ago
Google has not directly intervened in elections as far as we know. Will they ever if we don't take away their power to? Only one way to find out!
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RonanTheGrey 2129 days ago
(Preface - agreeing with you) - And we really can't know it, either. There's some "evidence" that they're willing to tweak search results in favor of their politics of the day but I'd even take that with a grain of salt - mostly because of the original problem: Google is not transparent.

It has always worked out well for us to give power to completely opaque entities right? Guys? Guys?

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