Cambridge Analytica: Applied Big Data
February 9, 2017
Cambridge University, not Stanford or Carnegie Mellon, is one of the academic institutions responsible for some of the most interesting content processing innovations. I often point to Cambridge’s role in the second world war. The magic of Bayesian statistics was a bit of a specialty for the fuddy duddies trundling near the banks of the Cam. i2 Group, Autonomy, and a host of other next generation content processing outfits took root and grew. Silicon Valley did not notice.
I was reminded of Cambridge’s role in figuring out what insights can be weaseled from algorithmic content processing when I read “The Data That Turned the World Upside Down.” The focus in the article is on the victory of Donald Trump, the dark art of psychometrics, and an outfit called Cambridge Analytica. You can get more information about the firm at this link.
The write up focuses on the dangers of making sense of Big Data. That’s okay, but danger may be in the eye of the beholder. The most interesting part of the write up was the realization that Facebook actions could provide clues to behavior. Interesting. Because systems which make sense of Facebook and Twitter content have been around for years. Moreover, these systems have been integrated into larger analytical platforms in wide use by law enforcement and intelligence entities for a while.
I learned from the write up:
Our smartphone…is a vast psychological questionnaire that we are constantly filling out, both consciously and unconsciously.
There you go. Sudden insight.
To learn how Donald Trump and politicians for Brexit used outputs from Cambridge Analytica, check out the source article.
Keep in mind that this method is not new. Over and out. Don’t forget to twitch your mantle blue. Sorrowful, no.
Stephen E Arnold, February 9, 2017
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