A new project is being developed to help users discover which political campaigns are targeting them through social media during the 2017 general election.
Called Who Targets Me, the citizen-led non-partisan project is composed of a team of developers, researchers, journalists and lawyers who aim to analyse aggregated data to understand which demographics are being targeted, as well as what media and language is being used to influence people's votes.
The software is a Chrome browser extension that extracts and analyses political adverts shown to social media users. This will help the team collect the data and then analyse it.
A combined 1.3 million was spent on targeted Facebook advertising by political parties in the run up to the 2015 general election, according to the developers. They say: "Nobody is completely sure of the scale campaigns are using big data and targeted advertising to affect our politics. Who Targets Me is recognising that we the people can use technology and big data to monitor the campaigns and defend the transparency of this democracy."
The project's ultimate aim is to foster a debate about the effects of targeted advertising in politics and then change the way the adverts are regulated. They hope many people will sign up, and are also looking for volunteers such as legal experts and Javascript developers to help the project.
Yesterday Facebook denied that it had been researching the potential to target adverts at young users who may be feeling "overwhelmed [and] anxious". Facebook called the claims "misleading" and underlined how it has an established process to review the research it performs.
The Information Commissioner's Office is investigating whether people's data was misused in the EU referendum, looking into the alleged role of Cambridge Analytica apparent use of data in the US election and Britain's vote to leave the EU. It is also conducting a wider investigation into the data protection issues arising from personal data use.
-
Helping customers adopt a multi-cloud infrastructure and accelerate their modernization journeySponsored Content We outline what shifting to a subscription model means for your business
-
UK firms are 'sleepwalking' into smart building cyber threatsNews The convergence of operational technology and IT systems is posing serious risks for property firms.
-
Meta to pay $725 million in Cambridge Analytica lawsuit settlementNews The settlement closes the long-running lawsuit into how Facebook's owner, Meta, handled the Cambridge Analytica scandal
-
Meta's earnings are 'cause for concern' and 2023 looks even bleakerAnalysis Calls for investor faith in metaverse tech only emphasise the worries that its investment strategy won't pay off
-
Microsoft and Meta announce integration deal between Teams and WorkplaceNews Features from both business collaboration platforms will be available to users without having to switch apps
-
Facebook is shutting down its controversial facial recognition systemNews The move will see more than a billion facial templates removed from Facebook's records amid a push for more private applications of the technology
-
'Changing name to Meat': Industry reacts to Facebook's Meta rebrandNews The rebrand attempts to provide a clearer distinction between Facebook and its umbrella company
-
Facebook's Oversight Board demands more transparencyNews Board bashed the social media giant for its preferential treatment of certain high-profile accounts
-
Facebook claims AI managed to reduce hate speech by 50%News The social media platform has hit back at claims the tech it uses to fight hate speech is inadequate
-
Facebook to hire 10,000 workers across the EUNews The high-skilled jobs drive is a “vote of confidence” in the European tech industry
