Mindf*ck

Cambridge Analytica and the Plot to Break America

By: Christopher Wylie

Narrated by: Graham Halstead

For the first time, the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower tells the inside story of the data mining and psychological manipulation behind the election of Donald Trump and the Brexit referendum, connecting Facebook, WikiLeaks, Russian intelligence, and international hackers.

“Mindf*ck demonstrates how digital influence operations, when they converged with the nasty business of politics, managed to hollow out democracies.”—The Washington Post

Mindf*ck goes deep inside Cambridge Analytica’s “American operations,” which were driven by Steve Bannon’s vision to remake America and fueled by mysterious billionaire Robert Mercer’s money, as it weaponized and wielded the massive store of data it had harvested on individuals—in excess of 87 million—to disunite the United States and set Americans against each other. Bannon had long sensed that deep within America’s soul lurked an explosive tension. Cambridge Analytica had the data to prove it, and in 2016 Bannon had a presidential campaign to use as his proving ground.

Christopher Wylie might have seemed an unlikely figure to be at the center of such an operation. Canadian and liberal in his politics, he was only twenty-four when he got a job with a London firm that worked with the U.K. Ministry of Defense and was charged putatively with helping to build a team of data scientists to create new tools to identify and combat radical extremism online. In short order, those same military tools were turned to political purposes, and Cambridge Analytica was born.

Wylie’s decision to become a whistleblower prompted the largest data-crime investigation in history. His story is both exposé and dire warning about a sudden problem born of very new and powerful capabilities. It has not only laid bare the profound vulnerabilities—and profound carelessness—in the enormous companies that drive the attention economy, it has also exposed the profound vulnerabilities of democracy itself. What happened in 2016 was just a trial run. Ruthless actors are coming for your data, and they want to control what you think.

Critic reviews

“Wylie covers plenty of ground, explaining in illuminating and often scary detail how Cambridge Analytica exploited the data to create Facebook pages that would needle ‘neurotic, conspiratorial citizens,’ propagating an outraged solidarity.”—The New York Times

“Mindf*ck is worth reading if you're interested in some of the bigger questions of the day: elections; data; Russia’s involvement in all of this; Steve Bannon's power plays in global politics; the list of politicians who make an appearance at the Cambridge Analytica offices. . . . The book does serve as a reminder that it might be time to check in with yourself and your relationship with the internet. Wylie talks about invading America by ‘purposefully activating the worst in people, from paranoia to racism.’ Especially in relation to a certain company that sees regulation of its industry as an ‘existential threat,’ it’s a nice time to really wonder—sure, online feels good. But is it worth it?”—NPR

“Mindf*ck demonstrates how digital influence operations, when they converged with the nasty business of politics, managed to hollow out democracies. . . . [Wylie’s] personal story, woven into the book’s narrative, illustrates the confusion of our current political era as well as the challenge to Wylie’s fellow members of the social media generation as they seek identities real and imagined, physical and virtual. . . . He makes clear how important the virtual world is to personal identity for his generation and those that follow.”—The Washington Post

Frightening and Thorough

Frightening and thorough explanation of full scale plot to thwart democracy. We should all understand how the current game of swaying public opinion is being played and this story makes it painfully clear that our individual rights are not a top priority for many who hold great power.

Good info

Wasn’t sure if I was going to finish after first few chapters.

The story really picks up though and I could not stop listening.

EVERYONE MUST READ

If you’re wondering what the f is going on in the world these days and find yourself asking “how did this happen?” a lot, then read this book. This is how it happened.

Necessary though limited

The details of Facebook and Cambridge Analytical’s manipulation of news and user behavior are chilling. Read/listen for the fact and fast forward through the personal details. The author demonstrates distressingly little insight into his own role in events.

must read before you vote in 2020

illuminating information about how Steve Bannon and Cambridge Analytica weaponized data by using our Facebook interactions to craft propaganda that influenced the fate of our nation.