Founded in 2013
was a political consulting company that specialized in using data science methodologies to support political campaigns Here are some key facts about the company
offshoot of a British company called SCL Group (formerly Strategic Communication Laboratories) and was set up as a U.S. subsidiary company of SCL.
The company targeted Facebook and other social media platforms to run advertisements based on user profiles, including ads for political campaigns. It infamously attempted to use the psychological profiles of roughly 90 million Facebook users to influence their political decisions
In 2018, the company became the subject of widespread criticism following reports that it purchased data from a British academic concerning the personal psychological profile of roughly 270,000 Facebook users. Due to the terms and conditions of the Facebook platform at that time, the company was able to indirectly access data from the Facebook friends of those users.
Influence on Political Campaigns Cambridge Analytica was active in the Leave-EU Brexit campaign, as well as Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. The company allegedly used people’s psychological profiles to influence their political decisions.
Closure The company declared bankruptcy in 2018 following legal and political fallout from its use of personal data. However, several of the company’s key personnel have since founded or moved to similar companies.