Political consulting group Cambridge Analytica used Russian researchers and shared data with companies linked to Russian intelligence, a whistleblower told a congressional hearing on interference in the 2016 US election Wednesday.

Christopher Wylie, who leaked information on the British-based firm's hijacking of data on millions of Facebook users, told a Senate panel he believes Russian intelligence services had access to data harvested by the consultancy.

Wylie told the panel that Russian-American researcher Aleksandr Kogan, who created an application to harvest Facebook user profile data, was working at the same time on Russian-funded projects, including "behavioral research."

"This means that in addition to Facebook data being accessed in Russia, there are reasonable grounds to suspect that CA may have been an intelligence target of Russian security services...(and) that Russian security services may have been notified of the existence of CA's Facebook data," Wylie said in his written testimony.

Wylie added that Cambridge Analytica "used Russian researchers to gather its data, (and) openly shared information on 'rumor campaigns' and 'attitudinal inoculation'" with companies and executives linked to the Russian intelligence agency FSB.

The hearing is part of a broad inquiry on both sides of the Atlantic over the misuse of Facebook data by the consulting firm working on Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

Facebook has accused Cambridge Analytica of misappropriating its user data by violating terms of the data agreement with Kogan, the academic researcher.

On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that the FBI and Justice are investigating Cambridge Analytica for potential criminal violations.

The Times said it was unclear whether the probe was linked to the one led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.

'Black ops' at CA&nbsp

Wylie told the panel that "the ethos of the firm was 'anything goes'" for its political campaigns, including "attempting to divert health ministry funds in a struggling African country to support a politician's re-election campaign."

He added that he was aware of "black ops" at the company, "which I understood to include using hackers to break into computer systems to acquire kompromat or other intelligence for its clients."

He said that one of the tactics used to interfere with voter participation included "weaponizing fear."

"In one country, CA produced videos intended to suppress turnout by showing voters sadistic images of victims being burned alive, undergoing forced amputations with machetes and having their throats cut in a ditch," he said.

"These videos also conveyed Islamophobic messages. It was created with a clear intent to intimidate certain communities, catalyze religious hatred, portray Muslims as terrorists and deny certain voters of their democratic rights."

Cambridge Analytica announced earlier this month it was shutting down, unable to recover from the Facebook-linked scandal.

Its chief executive Alexander Nix was suspended after he was filmed by undercover reporters bragging about ways to win political campaigns, including through blackmail and honey traps.

Another whistleblower said that Britons' personal data may have been misused by a pro-Brexit campaign ahead of the 2016 referendum in which Britain voted to leave the European Union.

Christopher Wylie, who leaked information on the British-based firm's hijacking of data on millions of Facebook users, told a Senate panel he believes Russian intelligence services had access to data harvested by the consultancy

Political consulting group Cambridge Analytica used Russian researchers and shared data with companies linked to Russian intelligence, a whistleblower told a congressional hearing on interference in the 2016 US election Wednesday. Christopher Wylie, who leaked information on the British-based firm's hijacking of data on millions of Facebook users, told a Senate panel he believes Russian intelligence services had access to data harvested by the consultancy. Wylie told the panel that Russian-American researcher Aleksandr Kogan, who created an application to harvest Facebook user profile data, was working at the same time on Russian-funded projects, including "behavioral research." "This means that in addition to Facebook data being accessed in Russia, there are reasonable grounds to suspect that CA may have been an intelligence target of Russian security services...(and) that Russian security services may have been notified of the existence of CA's Facebook data," Wylie said in his written testimony. Wylie added that Cambridge Analytica "used Russian researchers to gather its data, (and) openly shared information on 'rumor campaigns' and 'attitudinal inoculation'" with companies and executives linked to the Russian intelligence agency FSB. The hearing is part of a broad inquiry on both sides of the Atlantic over the misuse of Facebook data by the consulting firm working on Donald Trump's 2016 campaign. Facebook has accused Cambridge Analytica of misappropriating its user data by violating terms of the data agreement with Kogan, the academic researcher. On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that the FBI and Justice are investigating Cambridge Analytica for potential criminal violations. The Times said it was unclear whether the probe was linked to the one led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia. 'Black ops' at CA Wylie told the panel that "the ethos of the firm was 'anything goes'" for its political campaigns, including "attempting to divert health ministry funds in a struggling African country to support a politician's re-election campaign." He added that he was aware of "black ops" at the company, "which I understood to include using hackers to break into computer systems to acquire kompromat or other intelligence for its clients." He said that one of the tactics used to interfere with voter participation included "weaponizing fear." "In one country, CA produced videos intended to suppress turnout by showing voters sadistic images of victims being burned alive, undergoing forced amputations with machetes and having their throats cut in a ditch," he said. "These videos also conveyed Islamophobic messages. It was created with a clear intent to intimidate certain communities, catalyze religious hatred, portray Muslims as terrorists and deny certain voters of their democratic rights." Cambridge Analytica announced earlier this month it was shutting down, unable to recover from the Facebook-linked scandal. Its chief executive Alexander Nix was suspended after he was filmed by undercover reporters bragging about ways to win political campaigns, including through blackmail and honey traps. Another whistleblower said that Britons' personal data may have been misused by a pro-Brexit campaign ahead of the 2016 referendum in which Britain voted to leave the European Union.

Cambridge Analytica shared data with Russia: Whistleblower

After Facebook, another major social media outlet Twitter has now been caught up in the data scandal involving Cambridge Analytica, the British political consulting firm which collected the data of nearly 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge and permission, according to a media report.

Aleksandr Kogan, who created tools for Cambridge Analytica that allowed the political consultancy to psychologically profile and target voters, bought the data from the microblogging website in 2015, before the recent scandal came to light, The Sunday Telegraph reported.

Kogan had established Global Science Research (GSR), which was granted access to Twitter data. The academic said the information had only been used to create "brand reports" and "survey extender tools" and that he had not violated Twitter's policies.

Kogan bought tweets, usernames, photos, profile pictures and location data from Twitter over a five-month period between December 2014 and April 2015 through his GSR, the report said.

Earlier this month, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had admitted making a "huge mistake" as personal data of up to 87 million users may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica.

Zuckerberg, 33, had said that he accepted blame for the data leak, which has angered users, advertisers and lawmakers, while also saying he was still the right person to head the company he founded.

According to the report, while most tweets are public, Twitter charges companies and organisations to collect them en masse.

Large datasets are particularly useful for building a pattern of public opinion or receptiveness to certain topics and ideas, although Twitter bans companies from using the data to derive sensitive political information or matching it with personal information obtained elsewhere, it said.

"Twitter has also made the policy decision to off-board advertising from all accounts owned and operated by Cambridge Analytica. This decision is based on our determination that Cambridge Analytica operates using a business model that inherently conflicts with acceptable Twitter Ads business practices," a Twitter spokesperson said.

"Cambridge Analytica may remain an organic user on our platform, in accordance with the Twitter Rules," the spokesperson added.

A Cambridge Analytica spokesperson said the company used Twitter for political advertising but insisted that it had never "undertaken a project with GSR focusing on Twitter data and Cambridge Analytica has never received Twitter data from GSR".

It added that "Cambridge Analytica is a data-driven marketing agency and does not manipulate political views."

Kogan told the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Committee last week that his company, GSR, was created in 2014 purely to create datasets for SCL - the parent group of Cambridge Analytica.&nbsp

GSR developed a Facebook app that reportedly collected data from people who signed up to use the app as well as information from their Facebook friends, without the explicit approval of all involved. Kogan accused Cambridge Analytica's now-suspended CEO Alexander Nix of "total fabrication" when it came to denying the links between Cambridge Analytica and GSR's data. 
Social-media companies have come under intense scrutiny over reports that Facebook failed to protect the privacy of its users. Companies like Twitter tend to have access to less private information than Facebook.

About 270,000 people downloaded Kogan's personality-quiz app, which shared information on the people and their friends that then was improperly passed to Cambridge Analytica. 
Zuckerberg has testified in front of Congress about the misuse of data, and lawmakers have called on Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Google's India-born CEO Sundar Pichai to testify as well.

Aleksandr Kogan, who created tools for Cambridge Analytica that allowed the political consultancy to psychologically profile and target voters, bought the data from the microblogging website in 2015, before the recent scandal came to light, the Sunday Telegraph reported

After Facebook, another major social media outlet Twitter has now been caught up in the data scandal involving Cambridge Analytica, the British political consulting firm which collected the data of nearly 87 million Facebook users without their knowledge and permission, according to a media report. Aleksandr Kogan, who created tools for Cambridge Analytica that allowed the political consultancy to psychologically profile and target voters, bought the data from the microblogging website in 2015, before the recent scandal came to light, The Sunday Telegraph reported. Kogan had established Global Science Research (GSR), which was granted access to Twitter data. The academic said the information had only been used to create "brand reports" and "survey extender tools" and that he had not violated Twitter's policies. Kogan bought tweets, usernames, photos, profile pictures and location data from Twitter over a five-month period between December 2014 and April 2015 through his GSR, the report said. Earlier this month, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had admitted making a "huge mistake" as personal data of up to 87 million users may have been improperly shared with Cambridge Analytica. Zuckerberg, 33, had said that he accepted blame for the data leak, which has angered users, advertisers and lawmakers, while also saying he was still the right person to head the company he founded. According to the report, while most tweets are public, Twitter charges companies and organisations to collect them en masse. Large datasets are particularly useful for building a pattern of public opinion or receptiveness to certain topics and ideas, although Twitter bans companies from using the data to derive sensitive political information or matching it with personal information obtained elsewhere, it said. "Twitter has also made the policy decision to off-board advertising from all accounts owned and operated by Cambridge Analytica. This decision is based on our determination that Cambridge Analytica operates using a business model that inherently conflicts with acceptable Twitter Ads business practices," a Twitter spokesperson said. "Cambridge Analytica may remain an organic user on our platform, in accordance with the Twitter Rules," the spokesperson added. A Cambridge Analytica spokesperson said the company used Twitter for political advertising but insisted that it had never "undertaken a project with GSR focusing on Twitter data and Cambridge Analytica has never received Twitter data from GSR". It added that "Cambridge Analytica is a data-driven marketing agency and does not manipulate political views." Kogan told the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Committee last week that his company, GSR, was created in 2014 purely to create datasets for SCL - the parent group of Cambridge Analytica. GSR developed a Facebook app that reportedly collected data from people who signed up to use the app as well as information from their Facebook friends, without the explicit approval of all involved. Kogan accused Cambridge Analytica's now-suspended CEO Alexander Nix of "total fabrication" when it came to denying the links between Cambridge Analytica and GSR's data. Social-media companies have come under intense scrutiny over reports that Facebook failed to protect the privacy of its users. Companies like Twitter tend to have access to less private information than Facebook. About 270,000 people downloaded Kogan's personality-quiz app, which shared information on the people and their friends that then was improperly passed to Cambridge Analytica. Zuckerberg has testified in front of Congress about the misuse of data, and lawmakers have called on Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Google's India-born CEO Sundar Pichai to testify as well.

Twitter also sold data to Cambridge Analytica researcher: Report

Internet data firm <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/cambridge-analytica-facebook-row-indian-website-ovleno-currently-unavailable-36635">Cambridge Analytica (CA) said today</a> that it will investigate all its activities around the world, including in India.

"All the national issues and national associations are part and parcel of the independent investigation. Rest assured, India, Kenya, Nigeria, all the other countries that SCL has been working in historically, will be investigated and reported on as part of the independent investigation," a spokesman of the firm said.

Meanwhile, the Indian government has sent two notices to Cambridge Analytica and has sought reply by May 10th.&nbsp;

The government had sent a notice to Facebook on April 5th, 2018 and informed the social networking site that data of estimated 5.62, 455 Indians may have been used in an unauthorised manner by CA through 335 installations of the App developed by GSR and installed by Indians.

On Tuesday, Aleksandr Kogan, a researcher of the firm was grilled by UK parliamentary committee. Kogan said what he was doing was "useless" work since it was not connected to swaying voters during elections.

"Quite frankly, if the goal is micro-targeting using Facebook ads, (the project) makes no sense. It's not what you would do," he told a parliamentary committee.

Last month, Christopher Wylie, a whistleblower, had said&nbsp;the company had worked "extensively" in India and named the Congress as one of its clients. He named other parties as well namely the Janta Dal (United) as a client during the 2010 Bihar elections.&nbsp;

Wylie said Cambridge Analytica had a database on "over 600 districts and 7 lakh villages, which is constantly being updated".&nbsp;

He revealed that CA's reach in India reportedly included a head office in Ghaziabad, with nine regional offices in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Cuttack, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, Patna and Pune.

On the other hand, Kogan quite unexpectedly added that it was "unlikely Cambridge Analytica had used the data in the Trump campaign," although he added that CEO Alexander Nix had lied to &nbsp;the British lawmakers about the US election campaign.

Both Facebook and &nbsp;Cambridge Analytica have blamed Kogan for alleged data misuse, Kogan says he was made a scapegoat.

Kogan accussed &nbsp;Nix of "total fabrication" for denying links between Cambridge Analytica and Global Science Research (GSR) which developed a Facebook app to collect data about people.

Asked if Nix had lied, Kogan answered: "Absolutely."

"This has been a very painful experience, because when I entered into all of this, Facebook was a close ally," Kogan said.

"I was thinking this would be helpful to my academic career and my relationship with Facebook. It has very clearly done the complete opposite," he told the UK lawmakers.

Last month, Christopher Wylie, a whistleblower, had said the company had worked "extensively" in India

Internet data firm Cambridge Analytica (CA) said today that it will investigate all its activities around the world, including in India. "All the national issues and national associations are part and parcel of the independent investigation. Rest assured, India, Kenya, Nigeria, all the other countries that SCL has been working in historically, will be investigated and reported on as part of the independent investigation," a spokesman of the firm said. Meanwhile, the Indian government has sent two notices to Cambridge Analytica and has sought reply by May 10th. The government had sent a notice to Facebook on April 5th, 2018 and informed the social networking site that data of estimated 5.62, 455 Indians may have been used in an unauthorised manner by CA through 335 installations of the App developed by GSR and installed by Indians. On Tuesday, Aleksandr Kogan, a researcher of the firm was grilled by UK parliamentary committee. Kogan said what he was doing was "useless" work since it was not connected to swaying voters during elections. "Quite frankly, if the goal is micro-targeting using Facebook ads, (the project) makes no sense. It's not what you would do," he told a parliamentary committee. Last month, Christopher Wylie, a whistleblower, had said the company had worked "extensively" in India and named the Congress as one of its clients. He named other parties as well namely the Janta Dal (United) as a client during the 2010 Bihar elections. Wylie said Cambridge Analytica had a database on "over 600 districts and 7 lakh villages, which is constantly being updated". He revealed that CA's reach in India reportedly included a head office in Ghaziabad, with nine regional offices in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Cuttack, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Indore, Kolkata, Patna and Pune. On the other hand, Kogan quite unexpectedly added that it was "unlikely Cambridge Analytica had used the data in the Trump campaign," although he added that CEO Alexander Nix had lied to the British lawmakers about the US election campaign. Both Facebook and Cambridge Analytica have blamed Kogan for alleged data misuse, Kogan says he was made a scapegoat. Kogan accussed Nix of "total fabrication" for denying links between Cambridge Analytica and Global Science Research (GSR) which developed a Facebook app to collect data about people. Asked if Nix had lied, Kogan answered: "Absolutely." "This has been a very painful experience, because when I entered into all of this, Facebook was a close ally," Kogan said. "I was thinking this would be helpful to my academic career and my relationship with Facebook. It has very clearly done the complete opposite," he told the UK lawmakers.

Government sends two notices to Cambridge Analytica over data breach

aleksandr-kogan

Aleksandr Kogan, News on Aleksandr Kogan, stories on Aleksandr Kogan, articles on Aleksandr Kogan, Aleksandr Kogan stories at Wion, Aleksandr Kogan news, Aleksandr Kogan latest news

aleksandr kogan

Cambridge Analytica shared data with Russia: Whistleblower

Twitter also sold data to Cambridge Analytica researcher: Report

Government sends two notices to Cambridge Analytica over data breach