Universidad Sergio Arboleda

International management skills

CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA CASE
Camila Mojica

1. WHAT IS CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA?

Cambridge analytica was a company that offered services to businesses and political parties who
wanted to “change the audience behavior”. They clame to be able to analyze huge amounts of
consumer data and combine that with behavioural science to identify people who organisations
can target with marketing material. It collects data from a wide range of sources, including social
media platforms such as Facebook, and its own polling. Also, it combined data mining and data
analysis with strategic communication for the electoral process. The company was created in
2013 as a branch of the parent company Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL), to
participate in US policy. The consultancy is specialized in the collection and analysis of data for
the creation of advertising campaigns and policies.
2. WHICH IS THE CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA CASE CONTEXT?
The context of this case, is based on how sources reported that the company was exploiting the
personal information of Facebook users, acquired by an external researcher who claimed to be
doing it for academic purposes. The consultant is accused of having obtained information from
millions of users, violating the policies of use of the social network and having used that data to
create political announcements during the 2016 presidential election in the United States. “The
Guardian” also reported that Facebook had been aware of this security breach for two years, but
did nothing to protect to its users. When accusations became known, Facebook banned
Cambridge Analytica from announcing on its platform. The improper use of the personal
information of approximately 50 million users of Facebook by Cambridge Analytica was
revealed by Christopher Wylie, a former employee of the company. Wylie, a computer expert,
revealed that the company had created a machinery for manipulate the decisions of the voters.
3. MAKE A LIST OF FIVE RESPONSABILITIES FOR CAMBRIDGE
ANALYTICA IN THE CASE.

 Alongside social media giant Facebook, Cambridge Analytica is the center over the
alleged harvesting and use of personal data. Both companies deny any wrongdoing.
 Cambridge Analytica aparenty used the firm to have sex workers, bribes and
misinformation in order to try and help political candidates win votes around the world.
 The saga is significant because of the way the harvested data might have been used. It
was allegedly utilized to direct messages for political campaigns supported by CA
 Kogan "lied" to the social media platform and violated its policies in transferring the data.
  Data was then used to try and influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential
election and the Brexit vote.
4. YOU, AS A TOP MANAGER, WHAT WOULD YOU DO IN THIS CASE IN
ORDER TO SETTLE THE SITUATION.
As a top manager, the first thing I would do to settle the situation is implement my critical
thinking in a way I could analyze, understand and evaluate the situation so that I can organize the
different problems and give them a solution. In that order, I might try to understand the main
problem having as much information as possible about every single problem and execute the best
solutions possible. Also, I would work with the employees of the company in a way I could teach
them how to have a emotional maturity and drive them to be honest and motivated to do the right
thing.

5. WHAT DO YOU LEARNED FROM THE CAMBRIDGE ANALYTICA CASE?

The first thing I learned from the case is that If you plan to use social media as a tool for
gathering and monitoring feedback you need to be aware of the vulnerabilities. The Cambridge
Analytica case highlights the risks of relying on social media platforms as a two-way
communication channel, in this space data is a commodity, and the platform (Facebook,
LinkedIn etc.) does not share your goals and priorities. Dedicated online engagement tools offer
a more secure place for these exchanges. Also, we have seen how legitimate looking
organizations can be conducting dubious campaigns in the shadows. As a result, it is more
important than ever that any project that asks for user generated data needs to be transparent and
above any suspicion. It isn't enough to find a use for your data after you have collected it. You
need to ensure the public knows exactly what their data is being used for.