UK legal activities regarding CA (https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2018/05/03/world/europe/ap-facebook-pri... help to fill out the story here. The FTC in the US is investigating this matter via Facebook. Perhaps the UK and US will include the Mercer's new business as well? Buyer beware, indeed.
2
Changing its name, keeping its board under new construct. Follow the Mercers and their money. Gone company. Just as deadly as before.
3
bnakruptcy won't prevent criminals from going to jail
It couldn't have happened to a "nicer" bunch of people. Unfortunately, the data is still out there; as we all know, nothing ever really dies on the internet. Still, every little bit helps, at least until, like whack-a-mole, the same bad actors pop up again in a new guise.
And Emerdata is just a clone of SCL and Cambridge Analytica. Same bad actors, same nefarious business practices, same dirty money backing it. It is really all pretty dismal and pathetic.
I pray that Emerdata has the same fate as Cambridge Analytica where clients shy away from the corrupt and tainted services. These businessmen should be banned from conducting business.
4
What's the Mercer's Russian connection?
Steve Bannon?
Jared Kushner?
Erik Prince?
Curiouser and curiouser!
3
They will reappear as a new company with a different name.
1
This is a tactical bankruptcy: it's hard to see how a company like Cambridge Analytica could amass enough debt to trigger a real bankruptcy, but the name is radioactive and no client wants to be exposed as partnering with the infamous firm. This group isn't going away, they'll just be operating from a new storefront.
4
The main reason why all corporate charters must be revised to reflect accountability. Without serious reform corporations will become criminal enterprises with the capacity to simply declare bankruptcy to avoid legal consequences.
Corporations that commit crimes cannot escape. Corporations are not people. People go to jail. Corporations do not ever answer to law. Sure they pay fines. Purdue made billions on OxyContin, and when their role in opioid addiction was revealed they paid fines that were a pittance of their profits-the cost of doing business. Cambridge Analytica is more dangerous. It violated 4th and 14th Amendment protections and performed THE SAME function as Russian efforts: to cripple Clinton and elect Trump. That’s a crime against democracy. Seize their assets, all records and the records of their principles. Corporate principles that exploit the personal records of Americans do not have GREATER rights than the rest of Americans or foreign states. Our Justice Department must act. The AGs of each state must act.
2
As is all thing that touch Trump's sphere of influence and in ruin .
Cambridge Analytica deserves an academy award for using unadulterated propaganda for the purposes of mind control to stir the pot. The UK BREXIT campaign filled to the brim with anti-European Union mumbo-jumbo to an unsuspecting public anxious for change. By targeting the lower ranks readers of the tabloid press known for its trashy headlines the mission to inflame nationalism was relatively easy by blaming Europe. Today the Pound devalued and British government unable to agree on a safe passage out of the European Union (as with Irish border question) prove that strolling out of the European Union will make life far more difficult for everyone in Europe. And for that advertised privilege we know who to thank.....Cambridge Analytica Rest In Peace.
7
Bankruptcy sounds good. But before riding off into the sunset I hope they enjoy their stay in a Federal Prison for helping the Russians target individual voters for the Trump campaign.
7
The company's statement defending its actions is truly incredible.
We have.."been the subject of numerous UNFOUNDED accusations"...and, we've "been vilified for activities that are not only LEGAL, but also widely accepted."
Dude, you stole personal data that didn't belong to you to begin with!
The arrogance is amazing.
8
So, just like their man Trump, they use/abuse the laws to stiff their creditors. How conservative of them.
These Fifth Columnists should no be allowed to walk away from their crimes. Hopefully somewhere some Attorney General at the state level (forget Trump's DoJ) will hold them accountable.
7
Basically this means the second tier investors get stiffed.
1
Good riddance. Now, in terms of the intellectual property, I'm sure a few shell corporations will ultimately find this information in the hands of Trump operatives. The information, and how it is used, will never go away. It will continue to serve conservatives and Trump under many different names.
4
"executives at Cambridge Analytica and SCL Group, along with the Mercer family, have moved to created a new firm, Emerdata, based in Britain". As always, the Mercers won't lose a penny, and will be right back playing dishonest, dirty political tricks against democracy in the next election.
8
Filing for bankruptcy frees Steve Bannon up to spend time on his European hate tour.
1
How convenient...
1
Some time ago I remember reading that Steve Bannon had access to over $1B of servers that one of his companies used to troll the dark web for dirt on political opponents.
I suspect that those are the same servers that Cambridge Analytica used. And further that Mercer, not Cambridge analytica, owns the servers. Making it very easy for these traitors to quickly set the old operation under a new name.
3
Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream... More evidence that for the wealthiest, however much misery their actions bring about for others, life is but a dream.
2
Couldn’t have happened to a nicer company.
1
Eric Prince was not held accountable for the massacre his Blackwater troops carried out in Iraq in broad daylight, firing countless rounds into Iraqi traffic. I remember an article from this paper describing the anguish of a mother in the car when her son was shot dead. He was a doctor on his way to work at the hospital. He died with his head on her lap. None of those men were charged with a crime. And Prince, still siphoning off government money, just renames the company, perhaps with the same men on the payroll. Now he's into the data collecting business too.
5
The Mercers lost $15M, but they bought the White House. Pretty good deal, if you ask me.
6
Quick, subpoena their records!
3
Heard so much talks about Russian meddling. Someone can tel me if CamAnalytica incorporated in Russia or in UK? And what nationality Christopher Steele - guy who compiled dossier on Trump? Maybe we can start to discuss how British messing up with American minds? Dies mueller want to address British meddling?
1
No worries, all the data, voter lists, facebook data, is safely in Russian hands.
3
A classic case of "closing the barn door after all the horses have escaped".
And (as this article touches on), the Mercers have all the money and connections necessary (times 10,000) to reincarnate Cambridge Analytica under totally different guises.
Heck, it doesn't even have to be a corporation with a public face. Bob Mercer could run the entire operation out of one or more of the cavernous basements under his many mansions - his own private CIA, PAC and political consultancy.
Mercer is every Bond super-villain rolled into one. He'd probably dress all his staff in goofy, color-coded jumpsuits with caps and build his personal control room 200 feet underground with giant display screens just like the ones at NORAD.
Come to think of it, he probably already has. And it undoubtedly has a "red phone" to connect him to Trump and Putin, 24/7.
And we have no 007 to stop him.
4
Can't imagine that any of the Cambridge Analytica principals are being hurt financially by their sudden decisions to "delete" themselves from scrutiny........
Another scam...........
3
there is no doubt that the voter profiles created by analytica found their way into the hands of russian hackers. its a well established fact that the russian hackers were able to target their messages to voters with great precision.
4
Who is going to be in legal custody of personal data of 87 million Facebook users worldwide if they go bankrupt? The data should be seized and destroyed before bankrupcy is discharged.
2
It will be interesting to see who buys Cambridge Analytica’s data assets.
1
Everyone who knows they were targeted should file claims in small claims court against the CEO and the Mercers. The complainants could insist that they want all their personal data that was compromised on a thumb drive provided by the whatever assets belong to CA. Do they own that building in the photo?? Anyway, it would be great to keep them occupied for a few years and give them a better understanding of the harm they have done.
2
Because their engineering of Brexit was so wildly successful, they will no doubt continue to be employed by the far-right in England, despite the recent parliamentary hearings. Hopefully Mueller has something on Robert Mercer, one of the most dangerous manipulators/destroyers of democracies in the western world. It's incredible the chaos this craven, mad family has wrought in such a relatively short period.
4
So what, they'll come back using another name.
It's just the brand name that has been tarnished, the dirty work will continue.
1
So who will end up with all the collected data?
1
So, the Mercers giveth, and the Mercers taketh away. But first, they must take into account their profits and the political benefits.
No doubt we'll be reading about their latest incarnation before too long - maybe after the 2018 election cycle?
Any submariner understands the tactics. A crash dive to great depths to eliminate any presence, even fleeting, on the surface or that you ever existed. That frantic dive followed by a few dozen sweeping 45° and 90° turns, again at high speed, each in a new, random direction.
The strategy? To disappear. To confound, confuse and mislead your pursuers. And to put as much distance between yourself and your baffled but still encircling enemies as possible before returning to Moscow to be greeted as heroes.
Any compromising e- (‘evidence’) mail, incriminating databases and the hard drives themselves shredded into microscopic bits to put it far beyond recovery many weeks ago, while Trump’s White House played a game of “Button? Button? Whose got the Button?” and our counterintelligence services sat idle awaiting orders from Trump’s National Security Council and Department of Homeland Security that never came.
2
Mercer invested $15 million in the company? I guess that's not a lot when you're buying a presidency.
3
Data analysis is here to stay. The systems used by SCL and Cambridge Analytica will simply be rolled out to another company and it will be "business as usual". The names became too toxic. They needed to close down to open shop next door to continue to sell the same thing.
1
I wonder who provided their professional liability insurance. For the new company too.
1
This appears to be the fate of most people and organizations associated in some way with Trump: they declare bankruptcy.
2
Legitimate bankruptcy? Unlikely. A company doesn't go from a sought-after, effective firm to bankrupt in that short a span.
No, it's far more likely that Cambridge Analytica is going to go the way of Blackwater. That is to say, now that everybody knows who they are and what they've done, their brand(and that of those who associate with them) is permanently tainted, and hence they're going to dissapear, and reappear under a new, less-tainted moniker.
Does anyone believe these guys are just going to go away? No way. There's too much money and power at stake, and everyone involved knows it. Smart money is on a new legal entity, new name, but many of the same faces playing the same game.
3
Of course they're claiming bankruptcy right now. Totally makes sense. Then they'll regroup and call themselves something new like Oxford Analysis and go right back into business under a new umbrella. It's not only protecting their 'assets' but their sleazy mistakes and questionable ethics of their entire management.
3
What they did may have been legal but I don’t think they were unjustly vilified for it. It should be unsurprising to discover that most people don’t like feeling manipulated to one opinion or another, especially in our current political climate.
It was already coming into question whether or not Trump had Russian backing and just recently tumblr and twitter has uncovered fake accounts located in Russia pretending to be from America during the time of the election. If CA is able to rebuild from this they may have a harder time legally acquiring information now. Facebook has already made a statment on people’s home feed and no doubt people will be more cautious in what info they share.
“Our work here is finished. Time for a new disguise.”
3
I'm sure Emerdata will be different.
Mercer's firm files for bankruptcy.... What a joke! Every neighbor of his where I live stares at his ugly monstrosity of a house from our quiet harbor. He'll not be retreating to poverty with CA gone. He'll just be retreating to his private estate, and his egregious reach will still be global.
2
Hiding behind bankruptcy. Who else does that... ah, yes, Trump. Another strategy Cambridge Analytica and Trump share.
1
CA = Mercer/Bannon. This should be mentioned with every reference to Cambridge Analytical.
Headline would be more accurate if it said: "CA rebrands as Emerdata"
3
I used to think this was serious matter to be concerned about. However, this form of data gathering to form profiles as to who to send advertisements to is peanuts compared to the criminal investigation misuse of DNA submitted to genealogy and health sites, On a scale of 0 to 10, I put Cambridge Analytica and Facebook at about 1.5, and the California police at about 9.5
Bankruptcy is only a tactic for those with wealth. At the same time that there are people increasingly being incarcerated for not being able to pay fines, the wealthy use the law to do as they please and avoid responsibility and punishment. Please post a report of how many people were jailed across the USA this week for not paying their fines.
8
As Cambridge Analytica could not make persuasive explanation that it acted morally, its bankruptcy is unavoidable. Consulting firms cannot operate their work without good reputation. It is the same in the field of social media. Face Book has to establish the measures to protect personal information of users as fast as possible.
Bankruptcy actions must include the verifiable destruction of any and all personal information Cambridge collected.
Each person profiled has a legal claim against Cambridge, and the settlement for invasion of privacy and misuse of personal data must be the company losing the data in such a way that it can never be replicated or revived.
That would be justice.
2
I would hide all of my personal assets and file for corporate bankruptcy, too, if I could foresee my imminent doom from a flood of privacy breach related lawsuits.
8
You cannot live on lying and cheating for a very long period of time. Ultimately TRUTH wins. That is the reason while growing up, parents always tell their children "ALWAYS TELL TRUTH". Because if you lie once, to cover that lie you have to tell three lies.......and ultimately you get caught.
2
Once again, whatever Trump touches or touches Trump is ruined.
11
And what will stop the Mercer's from doing the same under a different corporation? Please, going bankrupt only rids of the name not the practice.
15
NPR states the same management team have started a new company, with similar business offerings. This is “rebranding”.
I bet it’s to avoid all the lawsuits.
1
They Already are. Emerdata is a company that was formed with all the same people.
1
Deeply swampy.
7
If the Mercers are so patriotic, why isn’t the new company based in the US?
6
Where is "Big Daddy" Mercer? Did he run and hide?
8
With the data-harvesting scandal aside what is troubling is the fact human beings, proud of independence, are manipulable as being slaves of emotion. How do we prepare for future Cambridge Analyticas? How do we cope with the fact universal suffrage is all but popularity vote? In due course all the knowledge and skills of Cambridge Analytica will become common and more refined and election will be just a fight among strategies of advertisement. We do not have much time.
8
Talk to Donald Trump, he’s an expert in declaring bankruptcy. He’s done it multiple times.
10
Given the joint ownership between Steven Bannon and Robert & Rebekah Mercer, the bankruptcy move is the same one ALWAYS used by Donald Trump to shield his assets from creditors and other legal claimants. I'll proffer this move was a proactive event in anticipation of millions of individuals, as well as political parties (Democratic National Party) to line up to file suit against Cambridge Analytica.
Since Cambridge Analytica is nothing more than a outer shell for the financial massive wealth of the Mercers, it's the Mercers who have the most to lose in the event of lawsuits.
To ALL who felt their privacy was compromised by Cambridge Analytica - seek out well qualified legal counsel to explore avenues that would bring the Mercers and Bannon into court. Tie these people up in court for a very long time - just like Donald Trump - and drain their wealth.
13
Just curious why the Mercers have not been called to testify before congress?
15
Because the Mercers and Bannon and Eric Prince are Republicans.
Is it too much to hope that they will properly destroy my info that they pilfered? If they are changing company names - is a class action still possible?
3
If we had a real government they would seize/freeze tge assets until they were cleared of lawbreaking. Chickens are pulling their money out. Can always start up again...like so many before...hold no white collars accountable...business as usual
5
Just changing disguises....don't believe a word of it.
6
Bankruptcy is the salvation from these crooks. They will still get to keep their filthy assets and Trump will continue to bask in his illegitimate Presidency. Where is the Justice.
12
SCL founder Nigel John Oakes is an interesting fellow (look him up), very Manafortian. SCL has had contracts with DoD, NATO, as well as more questionable governments. Wonder who they really work for and hope NYT does some further research and reporting. Ties to the election of Pres. Trump and Brexit vote are of concern due to national security connections.
5
Debt has always been good to me.
So reassuring that CA practices are legal and standard of the industry. The world has gone mad.
3
Watch them. Soon they will show up again doing the same dishonest things they did before.
4
This is nothing more than a tactical move while the leadership team and the Mercer's wait for the public to move on from this story. Bankruptcy protects them from any civil liability but they still have our personal information and will either sell it or transfer ownership to their newly created company. Don't be fooled, this is nothing more than smoke and mirrors.
The only way to protect the public is for our government officials to create rules and regulations. We need an SEC type of agency created that is tasked with monitoring digital information. Our laws haven't kept up with technology and as a result our right to remain anonymous has been eroded.
85
Agreed. CA founders et al need to be held to account with a fuller investigation into how they obtained and (mis) used Americans personal private info. CA’s archived website claimed they held over 5,000 data points on 230 million Americans. Their records need to be confisticated and their other agents (Canadian branch)’also need to be investigated and shut down.
9
And they've already formed another shell company, Emerdata. It has all the same people, and even has ties to Eric Prince (of Darkness)
2
Again: EVERYTHING Trump touches dies.
15
I think employees of CA were Jared's "back channel" to relays orders from Putin to Trump.
8
This was a company that was not organized to make money. Now they want a tax break. Pure swamp.
14
Wendy Siegelman at Medium has created a chart showing the ownership of Enerdata Ltd, which replaces Cambridge Analytica. Interesting that Betsy DeVos, Erik Prince, and Dana Rohrabacher are involved. https://medium.com/@wsiegelman/chart-emerdata-limited-the-new-cambridge-...
17
Thanks. The article was not BUT at its best --quite shallow. You gave us the evil undercurrent.
Reminds me of Patriot Erik Prince changing the name of Blackwater to Xe Services. The Mercer’s will not miss a day of work.
12
Unless Cambridge Analytica's sponsors (Mercer, Trump,and co-conspirators) are held accountable, this Trump-style bankruptcy protection is a thin-veiled attempt to limit legal expenses. Most likely, all the stolen data and intellectual property are already in the hands of Emerdata in preparation for even more effective disinformation campaigns during upcoming elections.
The law needs to hurry to get to the root of such malfeasance and protect Western democracies from being vandalized. Prosecutors and lawmakers, there is serious work to be done!
20
Since Cambridge Analytica’s shenanigans seemed to have had far more of an adverse affect on our election than any of Trump’s Russian freinds’ could have, and they can simply file bankruptcy to wipe their hands of it, maybe Trump too should fall back on his old reliable friend as well. File Chapter Five, flash Bob Mueller a peace sign, and walk away. Back to real news, whatever that is? It’s been so long.
1
Astounding that Trump supporters don't look at this company -- hired by Trump's son-in-law, thriving just two months ago, with third world dictatorships around the world as clients -- and wonder about the facts behind this "bankruptcy". But I guess that requires a level of willingness to think critically and face facts that don't match one's internal narrative.
8
Good. I’ve rarely if ever said that before about a company declaring bankruptcy. This company lost any morale compass it had a long time ago. Good that it is going away, hopefully for good.
1
The leopard is simply changing spots. Expect the "new and improved" version to roll out before summer's end right in time for October electi ons.
11
It already did. Check out Emerdata, which incoporated in March. Same players.
3
How can an "Independant investigation" be "commissioned" by Cambridge Analytica, and remain independent? It's CEO was caught on tape suggesting that the company used seduction and bribery to entrap politicians and influence elections! Hopefully, investigative journalists and European privacy regulators will keep a close watch on these scouldrels.
5
Well, that spiraled down quickly...Serves CA right!
Clearly not as smart otherwise you'd have realized ahead that everything Trump touches or involved turns to 'manure.'
Bankruptcy?! Taking notes from the Trump handbook, I see. CA doesn't deserve an easy way out. There's got to be accountability, because it doesn't reverse the effect on those who've been affected by their data collection violation.
CA just wants to dust this off and leave the name behind and start afresh and most likely be more crafty in doing what the did before.
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it IS a duck!
You're not fooling anyone, CA...perhaps Trump minions, but not me.
2
Look up Emerdata. Shell companies are incredibly easy to create.
Sending my thoughts and prayers. NOT.
6
Mercer, Pere et Fille aren't going anywhere nor is their agenda. They are a boil on the body politic. Throw in Erik Prince and his sister Betsy DeVos and the boil has become a cancer.
The 21st Century's masters of the universe. Nothing really changes.
12
One of these days, maybe justice will be served. Bob Mercer put up $$ to finance this monstrosity; his positively evil daughter and Steve Bannon used what CA accomplished to push their nefarious agendas.
I seem to recall that a little more than a year ago, Trump granted ethics waivers to around 10 people, including Bannon and Kellyanne Conway, to communicate with former employers, in this case the Mercers.
Several weeks ago, I caught the entirely forgettable movie Justice League - the movie opens with the artist Sigrid doing a version of the great Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows" (do yourself a favor and listen to the Don Henley version) - I'd put the lyrics to this song in the Top 5 of "most cynical lyrics of all time" - and a perfect analogy for CA and the Mercers, et al.
2
Bannon was on the NSC and allowed to STILL work at Breitbart. That was one of the ethics waiver. BTW, the first thing the GOP congress tried to pass (in secret) after Trump was elected, was a decommissioning of the ethics committee. Just saying
https://www.cnn.com/2017/01/02/politics/office-of-congressional-ethics-o...
Sounds like this cancerous tumor has outgrown its blood supply, mutated to avoid immunological recognition and response, and metastasized to another location.
It's still Cancer and it is deadly to any body politic that has it growing within it.
8
With this obvious dodge to avoid lawsuits, it seems clear is that affected Facebook users should attempt to file a class action civil lawsuit against the individuals at and behind Cambridge Analytica, including the Mercers and Bannon. The corporate bankruptcy doesn't shield individuals from a civil lawsuit.
6
“The embattled political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica announced on Wednesday that it would cease most operations and file for bankruptcy amid growing legal and political scrutiny of its business practices and work for President Trump.”
SO CA is trying to create a perception that they were victimized and ruined by a false narrative. There is so much incriminating evidence against them, from Mercer’s hate of the Clintons, and Bannon and Mercer’s duel interest in morphing of fake news with Breitbart and using Facebook stolen data to promote their targeted influential ads and news. Not to mention Flynn was an advisor of the parent company SCL. All it would take is transferring their data to Russians to get their help using the bot farm. Given the ultimate goal to elect Trump, and Trumps affiliation with Russians, this is a NO BRAINER.
We all saw just how dirty they are in the secret tapes. They use extortion on politicians. Starlight from the horse’s mouth.
1
Why wouldn't a company like Cambridge Analytica try to make money from our personal data? Everything is monetized these days. Healthcare, education, law enforcement, religion: why not personal data? Should we really be surprised?
As for privacy breaches, the whole world has access to our most intimate secrets, our behaviors and our personal information. Surveillance cameras and tracking devices abound. Our SSN, dob, etc, are part of almost every important form we fill out. I'm not as worried as much about privacy matters as I am about how we have turned private data as well as everything else into a commodity. I'm not sure we can really get off this train.
2
Betsy DeVos’ paramilitary brother is now in control of the personal data of 85 million Americans. That’s enough to get George Orwell’s ghost out of his grave.
4
Why didn't the NYT also interview Christopher Wylie, the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower, for this piece? It seems odd that Mr. Wylie appears to have dropped off the US media news cycle, even in related news such as this article.
I've been following the C.A. story in the British media, and in the UK, Wylie's testimony to parliament was a major media event-- yet his recent testimony here in the US last week to Congressional house Democrats on Cambridge Analytica's role in the 2016 election created barely a media ripple.
The hearing was "open in closed session", meaning while no public or press were allowed in, apparently a transcript will eventually be released. In that event, I certainly hope the NYT will cover its contents thoroughly, as many NYT readers in the US remain very curious about Cambridge Analytica's activities over here, be it now "bankrupt" or not.
3
Another 'end round' to avoid being sued. Period! They need to be held accountable. There should be laws that prevent these type of companies that spread lies as news.
3
Question when Obama's campaign did it, it was lauded as a great use of technology. But now that an evil republican did it we need to denote it as a violation of our rights.
The Mercer family is a common thread that runs through the Trump political team and their questionable activities. I hope the special prosecutor is not ignoring that fact in the investigation.
6
How interesting that a billionaire like Mercer has to file bankruptcy. I guess it’s a common tool of the very rich that they never pay the consequences of their actions.
7
The Mercers and their partners in Emerdata have a long-term goal that they are not going to abandon anytime soon. They will continue to try and subvert our democracy and our electoral process for personal gain. Their game is all about consolidating power and wealth, and it has nothing to do with supporting the values on which the US was established.
I am hoping that the news media and concerned citizens keep exposing these people in their perverted, corrupt, and self-serving efforts. I am also hoping they are thwarted at every turn, and eventually are prosecuted when they step completely over the line. Otherwise, we’ll turn into a third world aristocracy which they intend to lead.
5
As SNL's the Church Lady says, "Well, isn't that convenient!".
5
And yet the Guardian is reporting that parent company SLC Group has already set up a new company called Emerdata.
Of course, Alexander Nix and Rebekah Mercer are listed as a directors.
The Guardian. Not the Times. Get it together, guys.
5
Times never fails to take the bait.
Good riddance to bad data.
1
This is similar to the tactic Erik Prince used when he renamed "Blackwater Security" to "Xe services" after the scandal related to its contractors' killing of Iraqi civilians. It has now been renamed yet again to Academi - see the Wikipedia entry.
8
Corporate criminals almost never go to jail.
They go bankrupt.
They re-organize, in one way or another.
And then they continue their criminal activities.
Mark Zuckerbrg should be wearing an orange jumpsuit.
7
They will have a new company by Friday.
1
A page right out of the trump business manual, bankruptcy.
2
Typical Trumpian Trick.
The fines for releasing 87 million users’ data would have totaled billions of dollars.
3
To whom will that Cambridge prof sell his capabilities next? Why hasn't that esteemed seat of "higher learning" and perhaps "lower behaviour" fired him/ Oh, yes, he is a Russian. They don't only launder their money; apparently, they also manage to get their guys on esteemed faculties.
2
Good riddance. Hope the Mercers lost a wad of cash and hope Bannon was heavily invested in this company. Maybe he can go into partnership with Joe Arpaio, Michael Grimm and Roy Moore to invest in an American version of Pravda. Oh, I forgot, Fox already has that patent.
1
Since when does The New York Times bury the lead?
Why isn't the creation of Emerdata and the huge electronic data transfers from Cambridge Analytica... our stolen data... to a new company that cannot be sued or fined for its predecessor's misdeeds... in the headline? Or in the first paragraph and not the last?
This is Dix and the Mercers walking away from any legal responsibility and with all of CA's assets and all of the evidence of their role in the 2016 election. Expect CA to announce in a week or two that all of their corporate records have been lost at sea, accidentally deleted and burned in a tragic fire.
12
Take the money and data and run! At the very least the CEO should be hauled into court, not for money but to be tried and sentenced for what was done to millions of people against their will.
I find it ironic that we can have a hard time accessing our own information if we need it for anything but a company, any company in fact, can go in and vacuum it up, use it to sell us things or sell it to others. I think it's time the United States had some strict privacy laws for its citizens and some stricter laws when it comes to apps or companies or websites requiring our private information. Our SSNs(any part of them), birthdates, mother's maiden name, or our license plate numbers or drivers licenses should not be requested or required. It doesn't keep our data safe.
I think that privacy should be of more concern to us than the Second Amendment.
13
The article doesn't clarify which type of bankruptcy Cambridge is filing (chapter 7 vs. 11 and so on)-- certain types of filings are designed for businesses that plan to restructure and come back versus liquidation. The type would tell us more about their future intentions. Regardless, bankruptcy basically shifts the debt burden to the taxpayer. They took user data and we're paying them for it.
9
I'm sure Putin has a new task for them in Russia doing what they do best...meddling.
17
You buried the lede.
The news here is Emerdata, not that CA filed for bankruptcy.
Consider revision?
42
The Mercers got all the data they wanted and have no walked away. It figures, doesn't it? The billionaires get what they want, fold up shop, and the employees get the boot. Seems like we have seen this play many times before. Some things just never change.
36
Cambridge Analytica may be filing for bankruptcy & closing down... but it's parent company the SCL Group located in England is NOT Closing and ALL your Stolen Data? It still exists and can be used for nefarious reasons you have no knowledge of.
38
Pretty obviously a strategy to shield themselves from legal liability to those whose privacy has been violated.
As the article asks: what's going to happen to all of the personal data they have collected?
150
All that private data they've collected will probably get stored with the Experian data.
11
This article really lacks depth, and fails to give a sense of how weird and dangerous this all is: Cambridge Analytica, as a quasi-military psyops data company, accused of massive data theft, smoothly shifts its operations to Hongkong, in league with Erik Prince, with Rebheka Mercer back on the board of directors? What could go wrong, right?
The article even managed to avoid mentioning that Alexander Nix has been, of course, rehired to be a CEO of Emerdata. What does that tell you?
Wendy Siegelman's article in Medium does a much better job tracking the levels of intrigue at work here.
https://medium.com/@wsiegelman/cambridge-analytica-executives-created-a-...
64
Rigging elections via illegal means around the globe. Why aren't they being criminally investigated?
41
Cambridge Analytica files bankruptcy and becomes a new firm. Same operation, new name. The danger remains.
47
Just like Blackwater errr Xi Errr....What is it This week, the Mercenary and arms running outfit by Eric Prince and Dick Cheney?
4
According to other news sources, Cambridge Analytica is now EmerData LLC, another shell company run by Mercer with Nix and now Eric Prince.
http://www.businessinsider.com/cambridge-analytica-executives-and-mercer...
12
Whether Cambridge Analyitca goes bankrupt or not does not obsolve the PARTICIPANTS from legal responsibility for what took place: theft of personal data, interference in a US election, prticipation by foreigners in the interference in the US elction, and conspiracy with a foreign power to interfere in a US election.
A lot of people should end up in jail over this criminal conspiracy.
36
Who cares about the fate of the actual company? the important thing is that its mission was accomplished. It can now close.
36
Not before all of SCL/CA and affiliates assets are impounded. While investigations and civil/criminal cases are being brought—Emeratabshouldn’t get to play.
3
It is the new normal for companies to re-name themselves: thereby avoiding lawsuits.
As long as it is not against the law, companies will continue to rename themselves with impunity.
8
Bannon
Mercers
Mission accomplished
11
Just file for bankruptcy when you screw up. Gee, I wonder who gave them that advice..?
110
Hmmm... Maybe Thomas Jefferson or Abe Lincoln; they filed for bankruptcy. So did Milton Hershey & Walt Disney. But maybe you were thinking of GM, Chrysler, and the Obama administration's involvement in those bankruptcies.
Cambridge Analytica and Bannon/Mercer; please change relationship status from "In a Relationship" to "It's complicated."
86
Ah, yes, their diversionary tactics bamboozled you too. They are just switching things up. No news here.
6
Make that "It's predatory."
4
The article refers to Cambridge Analytica's "misuse" and "mishandling" of data, but does not specify what exactly that means.
8
“... a data-harvesting scandal that compromised the personal information of up to 87 million people.” RIF: Reading is Fundamental. There are also links to previous articles on the matter within the article.
6
The word "compromised" is just as vague as "misused' and "mishandled" are. But far worse: It is an opinion, which is out of place in a news article.
Take the money and run.
12
Fifteen million dollars invested by Bannon and Mercer is small change to both, but it is a big (in its symbolism) change to us, the voters, and proves that money buys a lot and most of the time, but not everything, and not all the time
10
How many civil lawsuits will this bring? And how much will the total damages be? Anyone? Bannon? Anyone?
7
This is just a way for them to try to disappear under the radar, and perhaps dodge some of the legal trouble that is probably coming at them, i.e. a kind of strategic bankruptcy.
As can be inferred from the article, the same people will not surprisingly start again doing the same, under a different company name.
204
If this company is owned by Mercer, then how can it be filing for bankruptcy ? I don't feel as if they should be able to profit off of disrupting and degrading our sacred democratic political system , and then just declare bankruptcy ,and in turn be able to just walk away scott free.
They know they're liable for these actions , and that lawsuits are inevitable , or they would t be running and hiding .
Bannon and Mercer should be held personally respondsible for all the despicable ,disruptive dirty political tricks they played and profited off during the 2016 elections .
71
If the Mercers stand to lose anything net of tax consequences, a rounding error on their balance sheets - likely no chance of legal liability - and it helped them get an utterly corrupt president and Congress that serves their perceived interests.
And boom or bust, creatures like Bannon will always find a way to grift.
If the advent of social media, troll tech and (in other particulars) the Citizens United court decision have rendered or at least revealed that our democratic republic is this fragile and brittle we are indeed in the worst kind of trouble as a society with aspirations of even adequacy, let alone greatness.....
24
Why isn't Emerdata in the very first paragraph.
Cambridge Analytica is closing. The principles have formed a new company called Emerdata.
Kudos to you for at least mentioning the new company (with many of the same players, and same funders), and for mentioning the name Mercer (they tend to not like publicity).
If only you would do more to comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable.
108
Another one in Trump's orbit who hit the ground hard. Take note Mr. Trump. Everything that goes up will come down.
11
Cambridge Analytica had few, maybe no, employees and has, with SCL, been folded into Emerdata. Emerdata seems to be interested in Hong Kong. Wendy Seigelman on Medium has made some fascinating diagrams of Cambridge Analytica/SCL links to all kinds of strange people. The company has simply morphed into something new and is moving into a new playground.
50
Yes, I've read this too on numerous news sources. It appears Erik Prince of Blackwater is joining them this time. Military Psy ops anyone?
16
Good. I'm glad this happened and I hope their executives lose personal money.
4
I hope the Mercers suffer financially. Their influence on the 2016 election and on the formation of the Trump administration have been insidious. This was in part the dark money world of big donors following Citizens United, but it also represented an expansion into new fields. Grabbing the data of 87 million users should have been criminal, and the interaction with Russians is also highly suspect. The Mercers owe the United States a giant apology. Their kooky ideas and money tools have badly damaged the country, its reputation, and its democracy.
14
Suggestion for an alternate, and more accurate, headline: "Cambridge Analytica Uses Bankruptcy Law to Rebrand Itself as Emerdata ; subhead: They will still Harvest Your Personal INformation to Sway Votes to Those Who Pay Them." I bet a lot of your readers will never get to the last paragraph of the article where the rebranded company name, a common enough corporate technique following scandal, is revealed.
130
Guess they learned that from Betsy DeVoss' brother, Erik Prince, formerly of Blackwater, formerly of Xe, currently with Academi.
22
The people must be protected from predators. Predators can’t be protected from accountability. NYT headlines must reflect the consequences.
"Cambridge Analytica Uses Bankruptcy Law to Rebrand Itself as Emerdata ; subhead: They will still Harvest Your Personal INformation to Sway Votes to Those Who Pay Them.
Don't be fooled that this means they are stopping... they are just shifting operations to a new operation.
20
Cut and run with the money.
2
C'Analytica is still very much a going (and growing) concern; the Merciless family is loaded with money (and other waste products), or they wouldn't be pouring so much of it into GOP election fraud.
This is strictly a Hostess "bankruptcy" that will, at most, punish its rank-and-file's wages for the actions of its leaders. Keep the pressure on C'Analytica, who call themselves Emerdata now—give 'em no quarter.
25
This could not happen to nicer guys.
2
Don't be fooled. They are still going strong. The last paragraph is the key: "In recent months, executives at Cambridge Analytica and SCL, along with the wealthy Mercer family — the principal owners of Cambridge Analytica — moved to created a new firm, Emerdata, based in the United Kingdom. One SCL executive has publicly described the new firm as a way of rolling up the two separate companies under one new banner."
269
Bingo. Well spotted. By reconstituting another corporate form, the principals of Cambridge Analytica have treated it like a burner mobile phone. Money well spent for them, damage to the democratic process be damned.
4
Exactly how I felt reading this headline. Doesn't tell the whole story.
7
Capitalizing on treason, both in the U.S. and U.K. (UKIP/Nigel Farage). The French saw through Marine Le Pen, given their history of a hostile occupation and local collaboration.
6
I assume they think they have some legal liability that would demand more of them than the cost of bankruptcy. It's a time-honored tradition in this country to declare bankruptcy to avoid taking any responsibility for the damage they have done. Our laws enable many industries to use this tool, such as mining operations and the manufacture of toxic chemicals.
73
And don’t forget failing casinos.
4
Emerdata will employ the individuals and software used by Cambridge Analytica and SCL while shielding itself and them from any legal liabilities that Cambridge Analytica and SCL may have over their illegal actions. As there will be no assets after the bankruptcy, it will difficult to fine the firm. No one will go to prison for their treason.
If conservatives like the Koch Brothers and the Mercers had their way, the only people who would have the vote would be those who own substantial real property and wealth - as it was in America and Britain in the 18th century. Those who worked for wages would have no vote. This is the kind of democracy that they wish America would become.
198
They are not wishing. They have large teams of poems working on it 24/7/365
6
What could poems possibly have been before spell check got ahold it it?
"peons", maybe?
With bankruptcy, Bannon and Mercer will reap what they sew! However, their damage to our democracy and the outcome to the 2016 election has already done.
28
Another scam, designed to scatter their assets and data, in order to obscure the principal role of the Mercers in the Russia election interference conspiracy.
206
So is the new company, Emerdata, still operational? If so, shouldn't the headline be 'Cambridge Analytica is now operating as Emerdata'.
Also Robert Mercer will realize an excellent return on his $15M investment, thanks to the tax cut for hedge fund billionaires
239
Exactly. This is not a sad ending for the Mercers.
28
So Mr. Confessore and Mr. Rosenberg had better stay on the case to inform us and protect us from the profoundly psychologically corrupt Mercer, Bannon and the others, who will not stop their spying manipulations of the rest of us in the whole world for even one moment. The future of Artifical Inteligence is scary but these people are far more depraved. I wonder if a separate internet will develop that will be certified as being free from lies and manipulations and harvesting? Once these people experienced the thrill of manipulating the Kenyan elections, they will never ever stop.
(Kenya elections: NYT March 20 2018)
2