1. CQ Press Lecture Spark March 26, 2018
Connecting current events to your classroom

2. Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, and Elections
Facebook was accused of exposing data on 50 million Facebook users with Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics firm that was working with the Trump campaign.
How safe do you believe your online data should be? Do you care if a social media company shared your data with a firm working for a political candidate?
The pieces below help to explain the somewhat complicated scandal involving Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, and the Trump campaign:
Summary of the scandal and the parties involved:
“Here's everything you need to know about the Cambridge Analytica scandal” Sam Meredith
CNBC 21 March 2018
White House denying ties to Cambridge Analytica, despite pre-scandal claims that Cambridge Analytica helped Trump in the election:
“Trump campaign sprints away from Cambridge Analytica” By MATTHEW NUSSBAUM
POLITICO
03/20/2018
FB blocked whistleblower; also contains info on how the data scandal was carried out:
“Whistleblower Christopher Wylie says he's now been blocked by Facebook” By Christina Farr CNBC News
18 March 2018
Criticism and investigation of Facebook amidst scandal:
“Cambridge Analytica: Facebook 'being investigated by FTC'” By Staff
BBC
20 March 2018
Congress to summon Zuckerberg:
“House committee will summon Zuckerberg to testify” By JOHN HENDEL
03/22/2018
Cambridge Analytica’s impact on elections throughout the world:
“Cambridge Analytica: The data firm's global influence” By Staff
22 March 2018

3. Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, and Elections
In response to the revelations that Facebook shared user data with a firm tied to the Trump campaign, a movement to have users delete their Facebook profile has emerged.
Would you, your friends, or your family delete your social media accounts if you discover a firm breached your privacy?
The pieces below go into greater detail on the impact of the latest scandal involving Facebook and user privacy.
Issue isn’t that the data was used to target voters; it’s with the lack of FB user privacy:
“Here's why the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica controversy matters” By Steve Weisman
Fox News
23 March, 2018
Democracies must draw clearer line between acceptable persuasion of a target audience and unreasonable manipulation:
“Cambridge Analytica has blurred the line between persuasion and manipulation” Alicia Wanless
CBC News (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation)
Mar 23, 2018
Criticism of FB and Zuckerberg in his TV interview with CNN's Laurie Segall:
“The truth is, Facebook just doesn't care that much” By Jeff Yang CNN
March 22, 2018

4. Key Concepts
Campaigns have used microtargeting techniques since before the invention of the Internet.
Microtargeting identifies voters based on various characteristics and then forms a strategy to persuade them to vote for your candidate or your party.
Cambridge Analytica is a political consulting firm involved in campaigns around the world and it uses data to microtarget voters. It’s one of hundreds of firms practicing similar techniques.
Social media is a popular place for campaigns to use microtargeting techniques to advertise.
According to the Pew Research Center, 79% of American adults use Facebook, 32% use Instagram, and 24% use Twitter.
Students may wonder about the overall impact of this data scandal and how it relates to Washington politics. These pieces make connections to various DC threads: Zuckerberg interview with Laurie Segall:
Mark Zuckerberg: “I’m really sorry that this happened” CNN Published on Mar 21, 2018
Tucker Carlson on the scandal and how Obama used FB data too:
Cambridge Analytica, Facebook and the data double standard Fox News Published on Mar 21, 2018
Impact scandal has on Mueller’s investigation:
Cambridge Analytica Could ‘Add New Dimension’ To Robert Mueller Probe | AM Joy | MSNBC MSNBC Published on Mar 19, 2018

5. Assessment
Writing: Explain why some users are choosing to delete their Facebook accounts.
Debate: If you choose to use private social media firms, should you be willing to give up some of your privacy?
Poll: How many of you receive political information from the following:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Snapchat
Short Answer: Is the main concern with the Cambridge Analytica scandal that data was used to target voters or that Facebook’s privacy policies are lacking strength?
Current events quiz:
1. T/F: microtargeting voters is a fairly recent phenomena in American politics
2. T/F: Relatively few American adults use Facebook.
3. T/F: Cambridge Analytica has been involved in data mining and microtargeting for campaigns around the world.
4. Much of the concern over Cambridge Analytica and Facebook’s use of data is
The cost to campaigns to advertise on social media using the data
The blurred lines between persuasion and manipulation
Due to the relative newness of microtargeting techniques
All of the above
5. Microtargeting is the process of
Paying firms for data
Deciding how much to spend on television advertising
Identifying blocs of voters based on their characteristics
Providing legal defenses for contested elections
Answers:
False
True B C