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UK Academic Says Data Firm Helped Trump Campaign Spread Fear

Published

6 years ago

on

By The Associated Press

A propaganda expert who has studied Cambridge Analytica says the company helped Donald Trump’s presidential campaign use false statements and anti-Muslim messages to spread fear and resentment in swing states he needed to win.

University of Essex lecturer Emma Briant made the comments in explanatory essays submitted to the media committee of the U.K. Parliament as part of its inquiry into fake news. She has studied SCL Group, the conglomerate that includes Cambridge Analytica, for a decade.

Briant, who interviewed the group’s employees for her academic research, submitted recordings of those discussions as well as the essays to the U.K. Electoral Commission, the Information Commissioner’s Office and the committee. Her intent was to discuss “Cambridge Analytica’s grossly unethical conduct enacted for profit,” according to evidence released on Monday.

“Using (Cambridge Analytica’s) media strategy, Trump’s false racist and Islamophobic comments, resentment and fear were deployed where they would be most effective — mobilizing swing state audiences, using voters’ personal data to monitor them, and using psychological profiling to manipulate their emotional responses en masse,” Briant wrote.

Briant persuaded key players, including SCL Group founder Nigel Oakes and Cambridge Analytica’s former business development director, Brittany Kaiser, to speak candidly with her for a book she is writing with George Washington University professor Robert Entman. Her evidence was released a day before Kaiser is scheduled to testify to the committee.

Her analysis follows the testimony of Christopher Wylie, the central figure in allegations that Cambridge Analytica improperly harvested information from up to 87 million Facebook accounts to help Trump win the 2016 presidential election.

But Briant said that it was what the company did with information that made it powerful.

“Fetishizing their specific technology will only promote its power,” Briant wrote. “The point is how they abused data (and people) for profit, the political impact of their campaign, and the implications of rapid development in this area for the future for all our democracies.”

Wylie has also alleged that the conglomerate had links to the successful campaign for Britain to leave the European Union. While the company didn’t work for the official campaign group, known as Vote Leave, it did work for a group called Leave.EU in the preliminary stages of the debate, Briant said. This work provided Leave.EU with the “backbone'” of its strategy.

“Leave.EU sought to create an impression of ‘democracy’ and a campaign channeling public will, while creating deliberately ‘provocative’ communications to subvert it and win by channeling hateful propaganda,” Briant wrote.

Cambridge Analytica did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment from The Associated Press on the submission. However, it has denied it used the data scraped from an app that obtained material from Facebook users in the Trump campaign. It also denies working on the Brexit referendum.

“We pitched Leave.eu, Vote.leave and Remain but did no work paid or unpaid for any of these entities,” Cambridge Analytica said in an April 9 statement.

In a statement released with Briant’s research, committee Chairman Damian Collins said Briant’s work offered “unique insight into the private thoughts of key people at Leave.EU and SCL.”

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He singled out comments by Oakes of SCL Group and Andy Wigmore, the former director of communications for Leave.EU, which drew parallels between their techniques and those of Nazi Germany.

Collins said those comments “will raise concerns that data analytics was used to target voters who were concerned about this issue, and to frighten them with messaging designed to create ‘an artificial enemy’ for them to act against.”

Wigmore told Britain’s Press Association that his conversations with Briant were not for publication and described their release as “willful deception and trickery.” The Nazis came up in discussion “in a historical context” in reference to the scare tactics being used by the campaign to remain in the EU, he said.

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GRPolitics

Governor Peter Mbah Signs Multi-million Dollar Joint Venture To Birth Job Opportunities, Promote Sports And Youth Development In Enugu State

Published

4 months ago

on

January 23, 2024

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The Governor Of Enugu State, Governor Peter Mbah has disclosed a recent deal he signed for the good of the people of Enugu. On his Facebook page he wrote;

“I was delighted to sign a multi-million dollar joint venture agreement with the Del-York Group for “The 042 Arena and Entertainment Park” over the weekend.

The multi-purpose sports and entertainment hub is designed to focus on key areas of development, training, innovation, education, talent discovery, hospitality, and entertainment, among others.

The Sports Arena will on completion feature training facilities, athlete housing, a physical therapy and sports medicine centre, and a performance centre, while the Entertainment Park will have a variety of designs, including screening rooms, stages, amphitheaters; and live, work and play facilities, among others.

It gladdens my heart that investors are now favouring our dear state as a location for businesses and investments. This demonstrates the success of our ceaseless efforts to make Enugu the safest place to live, invest, play sports, and enjoy leisure.

I’m hopeful that this project will create thousands of jobs for Ndi Enugu and also attract more investors and tourists to our state. It will also provide a platform for our young people to showcase their talents, thereby promoting sports and youth development in our state and the entire South-East region.

Many thanks to the CEO of Del-York, Linus Idahosa, who came up with the concept and chose Enugu as the planting soil. My administration will give him and his team all the needed support to flourish.”

Here are pictures from the signing ceremony.

We commend the Governor on this development.

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Governor Peter Mbah Appreciates Dave Umahi Over Swift Response To Work On A Recently collapsed Bridge In Enugu State

Published

8 months ago

on

September 29, 2023

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Governor Peter Mbah Appreciates The Minister For Works, Dave Umahi Over Swift Response To Work On A Recently collapsed Bridge In Enugu State

The bridge which is on the federal road, had sunk in on Monday.Thank God no casualties were recorded due to the less movements around the area on the it happened.

Here’s what the Governor wrote;

“Yesterday evening, I had the pleasure of welcoming the Minister of Works, Engr. Dave Umahi, to Enugu State. The minister who came to inspect the collapsed bridge between the New Artisan flyover and the Naira Triangle, at the Enugu – Port Harcourt expressway, assured me of its immediate reconstruction.

“He commended me for ameliorating the plights of my people by undertaking to dualise the Enugu State’s part of the Enugu-Abakaliki road, and also assured me that the federal government would expedite the necessary approvals.

“I sincerely appreciate the minister for the prompt response, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for inclusive leadership. This, for us, underscores the president’s commitment to his oath of office.”

Here are pictures from the scene visit

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GRPolitics

PHOTO: Governor Peter Mbah Speaks At 2023 Lagos Chamber Of Commerce And Industry (LCCI)

Published

9 months ago

on

August 29, 2023

By

The Governor of Enugu State, Governor Peter Mbah was one of the guest speakers at the 2023 LCCI. While posting pictures from the conference on his social media page, He wrote;

“Today, I was honoured to stand as Guest of Honour and Speaker on the platform of the 2023 Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) International Business Conference and Expo.

This event underscores our commitment to global partnerships and trade cooperation. From Enugu, I have proudly joined the dialogue that transcends borders.

As we engage in vital conversations, I extend a hand of partnership, inviting stakeholders to explore our nation’s potential. Together, let’s unlock avenues for national growth and prosperity.

In Enugu State, we are open for business; building partnership with the private sector to unlock the capital market, attract investments, and retake our place in the local and global economy.

I’m excited to share with you our state’s abundant investment opportunities and government inventives in agriculture and agro-industry, logistics and aviation, tourism, real estate, mineral resources, information and communication technology (ICT), among others.

We are also de-risking business investment in key sectors by providing access to land, providing support infrastructure, handling engagement with host communities, and facilitating the approval of building permits.

Amid challenges, our resolve for a robust business environment remains unshaken. We are intentionally revisiting our ease of doing business indicators to ensure the environment is conducive for businesses to thrive.

Join me in embracing this momentous stride as we amplify Enugu State’s prominence on the national and world map.”

Here are pictures from the conference.

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