Mindf*ck: Inside Cambridge Analytica’s Plot to Break the World is a memoir written by Christopher Wylie, a Canadian whistleblower who formerly worked as a data consultant at Cambridge Analytica(CA) and its parent company Strategic Communication Laboratories(SCL). The book is pretty much about Cambridge Analytica's efforts to create psychological weapons and their effect on Brexit and Donald Trump's presidential campaign.
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| Cover of Mindf*ck |
SCL mainly worked for military and intelligence contracts. Wylie worked under Alexander Nix, an ambitious person. SCL shifted people's vote during elections towards their client's basket using psychological warfare tool, that Wylie helped to create in third world countries like Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria and some other countries in Africa. In this type countries, data privacy is like a myth; it barely exists. Wylie and Co used a huge amount of data of citizens to create an efficient AI (Artificial Intelligence) model which was used in micro-targeting during electoral campaigns and that tool was capable of changing voters perceptions using the prevalent cognitive biases of the people.
If the last part of the previous paragraph makes you think that I am high on substance, then listen it is just the tip of the iceberg (as events are described in the book). Then some far-right personnel get involved with SCL and with their funds, Cambridge Analytica was created. The firm started working for far-right candidates in the USA. In order to acquire American people's data, they used a Facebook app created by data scientist Aleksandr Kogan. The app asked a person psychological questionnaire to users, which helped to create a profile of that person and collected the personal data of the user's Facebook friends via Facebook's Open Graph platform. It is not necessary to say that all this data collection were done without the user's consent.
All these huge piles of data helped to create a monstrous psychological weapon that helped the rise of far rights in Europe and America. Before the Presidential election of America and the Brexit referendum voters were influenced in the same manner the voters were influenced in Africa, through micro-targeting based on personal profiles created by their own data.
The rest of the book is on how SCL got connected with the far-right leaders, how they conducted their operation in America, how they influenced the Brexit referendum and Presidential election in the USA, how Russians got involved, Wylie's resignation from CA and his whistleblowing and its aftermaths. The book depicts a strange reaction of Facebook after the Facebook Cambridge Analytica data scandal became public. Firstly, they tried to cover up the issue. When they were unable to do so, they banned Wylie and Cambridge Analytica from their platform.
Mindf*ck awestruck me, it did what the title says. The book is a terrifying joyride through the new corridors of power. The book will make you think twice before adding a new photo or status update on Facebook. It will help you to realise why privacy is important and how mass collection of your data can be used for the rise of a new wave of extremism.
The book seemed hard to read. There was mention of the name of too many people and organisations which was hard for me to remember while reading. I was disturbed by the unnecessary use of the word "gay" in the early part of the book. I am not a homophobic person, but the frequent mention of one's sexual orientation in one's book which is on a serious topic is a bit disturbing. Moreover, if I say, "This is a straight man's review of a gay man's book", I don't think that sounds great. I did not like the cover of the book.
Overall, the book was shocking to me. It ushered new ideas about why the privacy of data is important. You should read this book if you have not read it.
At a glance:
Name of the book: Mindf*ck: Inside Cambridge Analytica's Plot to Break the World
Writer: Christopher Wylie
Number of pages: 269
Publisher: Profile Books