I Want to Surrender to Cambridge Analytica

The theory that a sinister big data firm called Cambridge Analytica (and some associated companies) played a major role in the election of U.S. President Donald Trump and the Brexit vote is remarkably persistent despite some obvious flaws, which I and many others have pointed out. Carole Cadwalladr, whose series of alarmist articles about Cambridge Analytica has triggered a British investigation, is doing serious journalistic work, but she's also helping to create a conspiracy theory through the liberal use of terms such as "manipulating emotions" and "psychological warfare" with rather vague explanations -- though the reality is far less sinister.

Arguing about whether big data and internet-based psychological profiling can swing votes is exciting but rather pointless: Our personal data is being harvested and dissected by politicians and their contractors (as well as commercial marketers) regardless of whether it actually helps them win. Cambridge Analytica and its peers depend on the trail we leave on the internet. Our public posts and browsing histories reveal where we stand in the so-called OCEAN framework, which scores people on Openness to experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism. That sounds like a service Big Brother might offer, but it's important to understand what the terms mean and what these firms can actually do.