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![\"Christopher](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.towleroad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/wylie.jpg?resize=195%2C195\")
<\/p>\nGay Whistleblower Explains How He Created \u2018Steve Bannon\u2019s Psychological Warfare Tool\u2019 Used by Cambridge Analytica<\/b>
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Christopher Wylie, described in a new Guardian profile<\/a>\u00a0as \u201cthe gay<\/a> Canadian vegan who somehow ended up creating \u2018Steve Bannon\u2019s psychological warfare mindfuck tool\u2019 used by Cambridge Analytica, which mined Facebook user data to create an exploitable profile to target American voters, is speaking out in a lengthy, fascinating, and frankly terrifying interview about how that data is being used.<\/p>\n Wylie also talks about his journey which ultimately found him working for Bannon and Republican donor Robert Mercer, a series of job decisions and chance encounters which resulted in the creation of the data firm after it negotiated the use of a database created by Aleksandr Kogan of Global Science Research (GSR). GSR had successfully mined Facebook\u2019s user data.<\/p>\n Writes The Guardian<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n It was Bannon\u2019s interest in culture as war that ignited Wylie\u2019s intellectual concept. But it was Robert Mercer\u2019s millions that created a firestorm. Kogan was able to throw money at the hard problem of acquiring personal data: he advertised for people who were willing to be paid to take a personality quiz on Amazon\u2019s\u00a0Mechanical Turk<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Qualtrics<\/a>. At the end of which Kogan\u2019s app, called thisismydigitallife, gave him permission to access their Facebook profiles. And not just theirs, but their friends\u2019 too. On average, each \u201cseeder\u201d \u2013 the people who had taken the personality test, around 320,000 in total \u2013 unwittingly gave access to at least 160 other people\u2019s profiles, none of whom would have known or had reason to suspect.<\/p>\n What the email correspondence between Cambridge Analytica employees and Kogan shows is that Kogan had collected millions of profiles in a matter of weeks. But neither Wylie nor anyone else at Cambridge Analytica had checked that it was legal. It certainly wasn\u2019t authorised. Kogan did have permission to pull Facebook data, but for academic purposes only. What\u2019s more, under British data protection laws, it\u2019s illegal for personal data to be sold to a third party without consent.<\/p>\n \u201cFacebook could see it was happening,\u201d says Wylie. \u201cTheir security protocols were triggered because Kogan\u2019s apps were pulling this enormous amount of data, but apparently Kogan told them it was for academic use. So they were like, \u2018Fine\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Kogan maintains that everything he did was legal and he had a \u201cclose working relationship\u201d with Facebook, which had granted him permission for his apps.<\/p>\n Cambridge Analytica had its data. This was the foundation of everything it did next \u2013 how it extracted psychological insights from the \u201cseeders\u201d and then built an algorithm to profile millions more.<\/p>\n Wylie also revealed that his sexual orientation played a role in the group being receptive to his ideas.<\/p>\n It was Bannon who took this idea to the Mercers: Robert Mercer \u2013 the co-CEO of the hedge fund\u00a0Renaissance Technologies<\/a>, who used his billions to pursue a rightwing agenda, donating to Republican causes and supporting Republican candidates \u2013 and his daughter\u00a0Rebekah<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nix and Wylie flew to New York to meet the Mercers in Rebekah\u2019s Manhattan apartment.<\/p>\n \u201cShe loved me. She was like, \u2018Oh we need more of your type on our side!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Your type?<\/p>\n \u201cThe gays<\/a>. She loved the gays<\/a>. So did Steve [Bannon]. He saw us as early adopters. He figured, if you can get the gays<\/a> on board, everyone else will follow. It\u2019s why he was so into the whole\u00a0Milo [Yiannopoulos]<\/a>\u00a0thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch a video<\/a> interview with Wylie above, and read the full profile HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cambridge Analytica responded to The Guardian\u2019s story in a series of tweets:<\/p>\n We told @nytimes<\/a> & @guardian<\/a> that Mr. Wylie was a contractor for CA. He was not a founder. t.co\/OI7ZmN8RA4<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Cambridge Analytica (@CamAnalytica) March 17, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n We refute these mischaracterizations and false allegations, and we are responding \u2014 watch our Twitter feed for more.<\/p>\n \u2014 Cambridge Analytica (@CamAnalytica) March 17, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Wylie has been suspended by Facebook. The author of The Guardian\u2019s profile noted that she had received a phone call<\/a> from Wylie saying he\u2019s also been banned by other services.<\/p>\n Plaintive phone call<\/a> from Chris: he’s also banned from WhatsApp. \u2014 Carole Cadwalladr (@carolecadwalla) March 18, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Suspended by @facebook<\/a>. For blowing the whistle. On something they have known privately for 2 years. pic.twitter.com\/iSu6VwqUdG<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Christopher Wylie (@chrisinsilico) March 18, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Downside to @facebook<\/a> also banning me on @instagram<\/a> is missing out on my daily dose of well curated food pics and thirst traps \u2014 Christopher Wylie (@chrisinsilico) March 19, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Facebook released a statement regarding Wylie\u2019s suspension:<\/p>\n \u201cMr. Wylie has refused to cooperate with us until we lift the suspension on his account. Given he said he \u2018exploited Facebook to harvest millions of people\u2019s profiles,\u2019 we cannot do this at this time.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are in the process of conducting a comprehensive internal and external review as we work to determine the accuracy of the claims that the Facebook data in question still exists. That is where our focus lies as we remain committed to vigorously enforcing our policies to protect people\u2019s information.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The post Gay Whistleblower Explains How He Created \u2018Steve Bannon\u2019s Psychological Warfare Tool\u2019 Used by Cambridge Analytica<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\nRELATED:\u00a0Facebook Breach: How to Check Which Apps Have Your Data<\/a><\/em><\/h2>\n
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And \u2013 outraged voice! \u2013 Instagram.
“But how am I going to curate my online identity?” he says.
The Millennials’ first great whistleblower? And @facebook<\/a> hitting him where it hurts t.co\/abjfh4td4g<\/a><\/p>\n\n
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#millennial<\/a> #whistleblower<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/P8AheOMWQI<\/a><\/p>\n\n