What We Learnt from Cambridge Analytica, Really!

Just over half a year after the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke, the ongoing investigations into the criminal and nondemocratic role that illegal data-harvesting and targeted political ads have had on the election of Trump, and of course Brexit rumble on.  At the same time there is clear disagreement as to what degree companies like Cambridge Analytica in cahoots with the far right and the Russians really skewed recent elections.  It is now clear that what they did was on the edges of legality, but does that mean to say it was wrong?  And if CA did not elect Trump, then what is the real political significance of data-based campaigning?  Prof. Watkin, as ever, thinks we may have fresh insights into the debate.