Rising Powers Initiative - Sigur Center for Asian Studies
Policy Alert #162 - April 11, 2018
 
Rising Powers Unnerved by Cambridge Analytica Scandal

On March 17, 2018, the New York Times and Observer broke the news on Cambridge Analytica's use of an estimated 85 million Facebook users' personal information that was "scraped" without authorization in its public relations services--specifically in its dealings with political campaigns. Although the lion's share of impacted users were American, according to initial Facebook's estimates, over 560,000 Indian and 443,000 Brazilian users' data was leaked . The scandal has prompted new debates on individuals' rights to privacy as well as their governments' roles in protecting them from violations. In this week's Policy Alert, we survey this ongoing dialogue within the Rising Powers.


INDIA
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the opposition Congress Party have reportedly been "trading barbs" regarding which had ties to SCL Group --Cambridge Analytica's parent company--after it was vaguely announced that the company had done work for a "national party." The Cambridge Analytica scandal coincides with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry Press Information Bureau's (PIB) failed crackdown on fake news. After announcing changes, the PIB withdrew its directive in a brief statement the next day after facing immediate outcry from journalists and press organizations, as well as a reprimand by the Prime Minister's Office .


CHINA
The Chinese media was relatively silent on the scandal, no doubt due to the issue's irrelevance in the country, as China currently blocks access to Facebook .

 
 
RUSSIA
Cambridge Analytica first faced public scrutiny back in December 2017 when Special Counsel Robert Mueller requested information from the data firm as part of his investigation into alleged collusion between the presidential campaign of US President Donald J. Trump and the Russian government. The whistleblower who provided evidence to the New York Times and Observer , Christopher Wylie, recently speculated in an interview with American news outlet NBC that the records of affected users may be stored in Russia . The firm's ties to the Russian government remain unclear, however, and the Russian government has not yet commented on the matter.



JAPAN



BRAZIL
  • The online portal Uo lreported that Cambridge Analytica executive staff admitted that the firm established a branch in Brazil in 2017 and was planning to begin operations in 2018 with the intention of working as part this year's country elections in October. However, after the release of the scandal, the Brazilian consulting firm that was associated to Cambridge Analytica stated that they ended up their partnership.
  • The O Globo newspaper emphasized the scale of the leak for Brazil's 443,000 impacted users and the allegations that the firm used this illegally obtained data in the 2016 US presidential election. O Globo cited a statement by a Facebook spokesperson that all impacted users are expected to be notified regarding the issue.
  • An editorial in Epoca magazine pointed to the international turbulence involving Facebook and Cambridge Analytica and concluded that the role of digital media and user data in political campaigns is a trend that will remain and will undoubtedly change the traditional means by which politicians strategize in electoral races.


 
POLICY ALERTS of the Rising Powers Initiative inform policymakers,  analysts , media professionals, and educators on the ongoing debates in China, India, Japan, Russia, Brazil, and South Korea on current issues and events relevant to US foreign policy making. The aim of the POLICY ALERTS is to provide a spectrum of divergent viewpoints within these countries.
 
We acknowledge support from the Carnegie Corporation and MacArthur Foundation. 
   
For further information and analysis, visit the Rising Powers website and blog at http://www.risingpowersinitiative.org
  
Rising Powers Initiative

Sigur Center for Asian Studies 

The Elliott School of International Affairs

 

1957 E St., NW, Suite 503
Washington, D.C. 20052

Like us on FacebookFollow us on TwitterVisit our blog 

 

Join the Sigur Center's mailing list