Targeted

My Inside Story of Cambridge Analytica and How Trump, Brexit and Facebook Broke Democracy

By: Brittany Kaiser

Narrated by: Brittany Kaiser

Length: 13 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

In this explosive memoir, a political consultant and technology whistle-blower reveals the disturbing truth about the multi-billion-dollar data industry, revealing to the public how companies are getting richer using our personal information and exposing how Cambridge Analytica exploited weaknesses in privacy laws to help elect Donald Trump.

When Brittany Kaiser joined Cambridge Analytica - the UK-based political consulting firm funded by conservative billionaire and Donald Trump patron Robert Mercer - she was an idealistic young professional working on her fourth degree in human rights law and international relations. A veteran of Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, Kaiser’s goal was to utilise data for humanitarian purposes, most notably to prevent genocide and human rights abuses. But her experience inside Cambridge Analytica opened her eyes to the tremendous risks that this unregulated industry poses to privacy and democracy. 

Targeted is Kaiser’s eyewitness chronicle of the dramatic and disturbing story of the rise and fall of Cambridge Analytica. She reveals to the public how Facebook’s lax policies and lack of sufficient national laws allowed voters to be manipulated in both Britain and the United States, where personal data was weaponised to spread fake news and racist messaging during the Brexit vote and the 2016 election. But the damage isn’t done, Kaiser warns; the 2020 election can be compromised as well if we continue to do nothing. 

In the aftermath of the US election, as she became aware of the horrifying reality of what Cambridge Analytica had done in support of Donald Trump, Kaiser made the difficult choice to expose the truth. Risking her career, relationships, and personal safety, she told authorities about the data industry’s unethical business practices, eventually testifying before Parliament. 

Packed with never-before-publicly-told stories, Targeted goes inside the secretive meetings with Trump campaign personnel and details the promises Cambridge Analytica made to win. Throughout, Kaiser makes the case for regulation, arguing that legal oversight of the data industry is not only justifiable but essential to ensuring the long-term safety of our democracy.

©2019 Brittany Kaiser (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Nice story with monotone delivery

While the story and Brittany's story is really interesting - I found the monotone delivery challenging to listen to. It's like listening to the undertone of a person with a slight depression which seems a bit contagious ....

#targeted by #brittanyKaiser

#targeted by #brittanyKaiser
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i could say a lot but (realise that to [try to] do so is misplaced ego [‘clever’ enough to comment but not {ever} ‘clever enough’ to come up with or write the {a} book]), so will say only this
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if you haven’t #read (or listened to) this book ~
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••• and use any ‘platform’, ‘#smartDevice’, ‘#smartPhone’, #smartTv, download and or use any app, shop online, basically use the #interNET 🎣🎣🎣 at all, in any form whatsoever •••
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~ READ IT (LISTEN TO IT)
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this #book is an important and useful read and introduced to me the concept of #digitalLiteracy (a term Brittany Kaiser used in her book).
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‘we’ need to seriously start to look at these ‘things’ and start educating ourselves just as to the dangers these #digitalPlatforms and #smartDevices and #Apps etc. potentially (invisibly) represent/ pose 🤔🤔🤔
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(i’m not a ‘clever man’) aware i am a 🐑🐑🐑 like any other ([maybe] more so) 🤔🤔🤔
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#BELIEVEeverythingCONSIDERnothing
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#believeNOTHINGconsiderEVERYTHING 🤔🤔🤔
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concepts i can not speak without ‘name checking’ #williamSBurroughs
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#everythingIsTrueNothingIsPermitted
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#nothingIsTrueEverythingIsPermitted
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#thought #concepts #thoughtConcepts written 50 odd years ago 🚀🚀🚀 🛰🛰🛰 🛸🛸🛸 👽👽👽 🖖🖖🖖
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that i have JUST THIS SECOND discovered (#iNet 🎣🎣🎣 searched) was in actual fact the result of William S. Burroughs fascination within the story of Hassan-i-Sabbah and included the motto, "Nothing is true; everything is permitted"...
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FROM: the #Alamut (Bartol novel)
#Novel by #VladimirBartol published in #1938
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#everyDayIsASchoolDay == every SECOND
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#🐋👫🤖👽

Interesting and provocative

An attempt to vindicate herself for actions that many humans would commit in similar circumstances of an emerging new world of data with no past performance to judge good and bad. Well worth listening to, but it is doubtful that society has what it takes to demand change. Only the worlds most powerful Governments can force cowboy industries of big data into supporting a well managed, fair and regulated data let world.

Narration ruins the story

The monotone, robotic delivery by the author completely ruined the experience for me. I was struggling to stay focused. It's a shame because the subject matter is fascinating and the narration has done this books a major disservice.

Shocking

Thrilling, shocking and extremely mind provoking all at the same time. I was unable to put this book down and I would highly recommend it to anyone who values their privacy, or wants to know more about the deceitful nature and actions big corperations employ to profit from our personal information.

Who is doing what with your data -Relevant and raw

It's a true story written and read by the person that experienced it so, you really are getting a fly on the wall account. it's kind of raw because you can feel the struggle the author had with the experience even after trying to come to terms with it. On another level it's simply mind bending how easy it is for us to be collectively manipulated when the 'bad' guys put their mind to it. The story is also a bit of a cliffhanger, will you do something about it or carry on with the lemmings over cliff...

Great insight into data use

Great insight into data collection and what is done with it. Also explains the ease with which involved individuals have their moral compass swayed (from which ever way it was showing North). Would have been 5* overall if she hadn't degenerated into liberal diatribe in the Epilogue. Will confess that after two minutes into the acknowledgements I turned off.

Very interesting, yet unnecessary boring at times.

Very interesting information I was mind blown at times, but unfortunately this information is jampacked around a lot of unnecessary stories and in my humble opinion personal grudges.