Inside The Cambridge Analytica Scandal: Technology Ethics And Data Privacy Technology Tap: CompTIA Study Guide podcast

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Inside the Cambridge Analytica Scandal: Technology Ethics and Data Privacy

12h ago 26:51

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In this episode of Technology Tap: CompTIA Study Guide, my students dive into the notorious Cambridge Analytica scandal and its profound impact on data privacy and technology ethics. Our students break down how seemingly harmless personality quizzes exploited Facebook data, creating psychological profiles that influenced elections worldwide. This discussion not only explores real-world technology applications but also enhances your understanding of data security—an essential topic for IT skills development and CompTIA exam prep. Tune in to expand your knowledge of technology education and the critical role of informed consent in today's digital landscape.
We walk through the mechanics: the Open Graph loophole, the “This Is Your Digital Life” app, and the shift from demographic targeting to OCEAN-based psychographics that amplified fear, duty, or curiosity depending on your traits. The conversation connects the dots from early experiments with Ted Cruz to huge ad impression volumes tied to the 2016 cycle, explores coordination concerns with super PACs, and examines why these tactics made public debate harder and disinformation easier to spread. Along the way, our students highlight the whistleblowers who surfaced the practice and the global footprint that reached Brexit, the Caribbean, and beyond.
The fallout mattered. Facebook faced FTC, SEC, and UK ICO actions; Cambridge Analytica went bankrupt; and Meta tightened API access to cut off friend data collection. We also dig into the privacy wave that followed—GDPR in Europe, CCPA in California—and what those laws do and don’t fix. The core takeaway is clear: ethical data practices and transparent advertising aren’t nice-to-haves; they’re the guardrails for a healthy digital public square. If personal data can be turned into political power, then consent, purpose limits, and accountability must be visible and enforceable.
Listen for a clear, step-by-step breakdown, plain-language answers to tough questions, and practical context you can use to evaluate political ads and platform policies. If this conversation sharpened your thinking, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review telling us how you protect your data online.

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Art By Sarah/Desmond
Music by Joakim Karud
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Chapters

1. Professor’s Intro And Student Takeover (00:00:00)

2. Defining The Cambridge Analytica Scandal (00:02:55)

3. How The Quiz App Harvested Data (00:05:24)

4. Psychographics And Political Microtargeting (00:09:30)

5. Dark Posts, Whistleblowers, And Global Reach (00:13:35)

6. Ethics, Consent, And Facebook’s Failures (00:16:47)

7. Fines, Bankruptcy, And Policy Reforms (00:19:20)

8. GDPR, CCPA, And Meta’s API Changes (00:22:00)

9. Key Takeaways And Documentary Recommendation (00:24:10)

116 episodes

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