Netflix documentary 'The Great Hack' explores Facebook's role in Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal

new documentary Great Hack captures how Facebook’s cavalier handling of user data in Cambridge Analytica scandal posed a threat to democracy.

But it doesn’t prove claims in movie that ill-gotten data helped elect Donald Trump.

movie, out on Netflix and some aters Wednesday, follows former Cambridge Analytica executive Brittany Kaiser around world, from Burning Man festival in Neva to a pool at a hideout in Thailand to a flight from New York to testify in Robert Mueller’s investigation on 2016 election interference. She reveals internal emails, calendar entries and video sales pitches, although movie doesn’t quite connect dots on what documents really say.

Inste, movie is mostly a recap of what’s alrey been reported in various news outlets. If you’ve never heard of Cambridge Analytica, or you aren’t steeped in all details of scandal that landed Mark Zuckerberg in front of Congress and his company under major federal investigations, “ Great Hack” provides a good overview on way companies like Facebook collect and use data to influence your thinking. It’s also worth watching for a reminder of tremendous power and threat of Big Data.

movie’s release coincides with Federal Tre Commission anuncing a record $5 billion fine against Facebook stemming from its investigation into Cambridge Analytica scandal. FTC also sued British firm, which has filed for bankruptcy.

Cambridge Analytica drew data through a Facebook app that purported to be a psychological research tool. Roughly 270,000 people downloed and shared personal details with app. Under Facebook’s policies at time, app was able to draw information from those users’ friends as well, even though those friends never consented. Facebook said as many as 87 million people might have h ir data accessed.

app was designed by n-University of Cambridge researcher Aleksandr Kogan. Cambridge Analytica, whose clients included Trump’s 2016 general election campaign, paid Kogan for a copy of data, even though firm was t authorized to have that information. Cambridge Analytica shifted blame to Kogan, who in turn accused Facebook of trying to deflect attention from what he called its own negligent and systematic exposure of user data. scandal broke in March 2018 after newspapers reported that Cambridge Analytica still h data it h promised to delete after learning of its questionable origins.

Listening to Kaiser, a self-described whistleblower, you might think Cambridge Analytica won election for Trump. Kaiser, who was firm’s business development director, explained that data helped Cambridge Analytica identify “persuable voters.” She said firm targeted blogs, websites, articles, videos and s specifically at m “until y saw world way we wanted m to.”

David Carroll, a Parsons School of Design professor who is also heavily featured in movie, said that given how close election was in certain states, just turning a “tiny slice of population” was eugh.

Federal election records show that Trump campaign paid Cambridge Analytica roughly $6 million. Cambridge Analytica said it never used Kogan’s data in its work for Trump. Trump campaign also denied using firm’s data.

Experts say Cambridge Analytica’s influence was plausible but inconclusive.

“y h data, (but) it’s t quite clear how it was fully rolled out,” Jennifer Grygiel, a Syracuse University communications professor, told Associated Press. “It looks like y did take some kind of action. We just don’t have eugh detail to see what kind of impact it h.”

But she said Cambridge Analytica’s work cant be taken in isolation.

t until 12 minutes before credits roll does movie mention or factors at play, including a Russian-led misinformation campaign centered on fake posts and s to sow discontent in U.S. electorate. It was n that Kaiser expresses doubt: “Maybe I wanted to believe that Cambridge Analytica was just best. It’s a convenient story to believe.”

Kaiser told U.K. Parliament last year that Cambridge h also worked with Brexit supporters. Among or things, “ Great Hack” shows foot of Kaiser on st during Leave.EU campaign launch. It also shows Leave.EU’s online statement on hiring firm. But Cambridge Analytica has denied involvement in campaign for U.K. to leave European Union.

It’s t surprising that Cambridge Analytica’s marketing pitches, as disclosed by Kaiser and through undercover foot captured by Britain’s Channel 4, would boast of company’s capabilities. And it’s t surprising that company would seek to minimize its role once caught. truth is likely somewhere in between — but just where, movie doesn’t explore.

original Cambridge Analytica whistleblower, Chris Wylie, told U.K. Parliament that it doesn’t really matter wher firm succeeded.

“When you’re caught in Olympics doping, re’s t a debate about how much illegal drug you took, right? Or, ‘Well, he probably would have come in first anyway,’” Wylie said in a snippet included in movie. “If you’re caught cheating, you lose your medal.”

He was discussing potential role Cambridge Analytica played in Brexit, but his sentiment could have easily applied to Trump. In or words, it’s b eugh that this was going on, irrespective of wher it worked.

movie could have left it re. Inste, it tries to suggest a larger influence, without fully exploring those dynamics.

British investigative journalist Carole Cwallr, who broke initial stories on scandal for Guardian newspaper, ted in movie that Cambridge Analytica “actually points to this much bigger, more worrying story, which is that our personal data is out re and being used against us in ways we don’t understand.”

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movie tries to illustrate that through Carroll’s quest to get information on what Cambridge Analytica h on him. His efforts were ultimately rebuffed, and filmmakers didn’t learn more on ir own. r did movie explore Facebook’s own attitudes toward data or what Syracuse professor Grygiel described as a fake news environment for Cambridge Analytica to exploit.

“If I were to make a movie today, it would t be about Cambridge Analytica,” Grygiel said. “It would be about Facebook Inc. and depth of ir influence.”