{"id":413108,"date":"2018-03-25T10:55:09","date_gmt":"2018-03-25T10:55:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=413108"},"modified":"2018-03-25T10:55:09","modified_gmt":"2018-03-25T10:55:09","slug":"cambridge-analytica-linked-firm-interfered-nigeria-poll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2018\/03\/cambridge-analytica-linked-firm-interfered-nigeria-poll\/","title":{"rendered":"Cambridge Analytica-linked firm ‘interfered in Nigeria poll’"},"content":{"rendered":"
The company that became Cambridge Analytica boasted about interfering in foreign elections, according to documents seen by the BBC.<\/p>\n
Cambridge Analytica is embroiled in a storm over claims it exploited the data of millions of Facebook users.<\/p>\n
The BBC has seen a brochure published by parent company SCL Elections, it is believed prior to 2014.<\/p>\n
It claims, for instance, that it organised rallies in Nigeria to weaken support for the opposition in 2007.<\/p>\n
The UK Foreign Office says it was unaware of this alleged activity before SCL was awarded British government contracts in 2008.<\/p>\n
Cambridge Analytica says it is looking into the allegations about SCL.<\/p>\n
In the document, SCL Elections claimed potential clients could contact the company through “any British High Commission or Embassy”.<\/p>\n
It also claims SCL received “List X” accreditation from the UK’s Ministry of Defence which provided “Government endorsed clearance to handle information protectively marked as ‘confidential’ and above”.<\/p>\n
The brochure outlines how SCL Elections had apparently organised “anti-election rallies” to dissuade opposition supporters from voting in the Nigerian presidential election in 2007. The\u00a0election was described by EU monitors as one of the least credible\u00a0they had observed.<\/p>\n
The document claims SCL Elections deliberately exploited ethnic tensions in Latvia in the 2006 national elections in order to help their client.<\/p>\n
SCL also claims that ahead of the elections in Trinidad and Tobago in 2010, it orchestrated an “ambitious campaign of political graffiti” that “ostensibly came from the youth” so the client party could “claim credit for listening to a ‘united youth'”.<\/p>\n
Most of the examples detailed in the brochure took place before the British government entered into at least six contracts with SCL.<\/p>\n