The Washington Post: The CEO of the Trump 2016 Data Firm Was Recorded Pitching Illegal Overseas Campaign Tactics
As a general rule, firms that quietly try to influence voters or consumers aren’t terribly interested in having a massive public profile. It’s important that candidates and companies know who they are, of course, but generally the influence-peddling industry grows better in the dark, like a fungus.
So it’s safe to say that Cambridge Analytica’s view of its position last week — a small but influential persuasion firm credited as integral to Donald Trump’s surprise presidential win — was preferable to where it is now.
On Friday, Facebook suspended the company from its platform for using data that was collected in violation of the social media site’s terms. That move prompted a spate of news stories about Cambridge and what it does, not all of it flattering.
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Cambridge was apparently created in part to address concerns about foreign companies being involved in American elections, but, according to the Campaign Legal Center’s Lawrence Noble, it is legal for a campaign to hire a consulting firm with foreign employees to bolster its campaign efforts.