The Diary of a Data Miner

Adam Solomons | Issue 2 | Comment, Magazine

From the Archive

Mindfuck, by Christopher Wylie, reviewed by Adam Solomons

This inside story, told by the data consultant who leaked the cache of documents that led to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, unflinchingly describes the data mining for which Cambridge Analytica became notorious. Wylie’s account is peppered with involving details: “When I had my flat checked for security risks, the TV was deemed a risk as it could be used to watch or listen to me without my ever knowing. I smiled at the irony of a TV that watches you,” he writes.
He doesn’t shy away from using his expertise to advise policymakers. “If we are to prevent another Cambridge Analytica from attacking our civil institutions,” he writes, “we must seek to address the flawed environment in which it incubated.” Too right.

Subscribe to The Mace

Join the member community shaping British politics and stay ahead of what's really happening in the world of politics and public affairs, with expert analysis, breaking news, and insider insights from Westminster and Brussels. The Mace is the leading news source and resource for the government affairs industry, offering required reading and lobby intelligence for professionals.

To see what you are missing out on by not subscribing to The Mace, click here to download our full membership info-pack. This includes having no paywall on op-ed content or profiles/interviews, allowing professional profiles to be read with maximum impact and visibility by government, special advisers, MPs, peers, civil servants, and policy and political decision-makers.