Targeted

Starred review from November 11, 2019
In this explosive debut, whistle-blower Kaiser chronicles her experience working at Cambridge Analytica during the 2016 Brexit referendum and the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. Kaiser was a lifelong Democrat working on a PhD in diplomacy and human rights when she joined the company as a consultant and became CEO Alexander Nix’s protégé. Throughout, Kaiser describes how Cambridge and other companies mine online data and how that data is used to create hyperspecific (and usually misleading) targeted political ads. In the case of the Trump campaign, this meant using illicitly acquired Facebook data to produce and disseminate “thousands of individual ad campaigns within campaigns... separate suites of content aimed... at millions of segmented voters in different states, regions, and even neighborhoods.” Kaiser also candidly discusses her reasons for abandoning her principles to work for Cambridge; without excusing her behavior entirely, she claims to have “fallen under the spell of a charismatic man who preyed on vulnerabilities.” Captivating and revelatory, Kaiser’s personal story explores the dangers of falling victim to the allure of money and power, and warns readers that data analytics can be misused to undermine democracy. With the 2020 election just around the corner, this account should be required reading.