Mixing Methods to Investigate the Influence Industry in Elections Campaigns
Across the world, data on citizens is being collected, traded and utilised to influence their political views. In this session, we learn about the industry using our personal data to influence citizens in political campaigns.
With Amber Macintyre
In this session we will explore how our team of researchers from Tactical Tech's "Influence Industry Project" uncovered over 500 firms working in election campaigns, the tools and services they offer to political parties, and the mixed method approach necessary for documenting this opaque industry. We will look at the benefits and disadvantages of each method, and how to work with other experts to produce comprehensive research. We will share the tools we used, as well as our findings, as a foundation for researching the industry profiting from political influence in upcoming elections in 2024.
This session is a collaboration with The Influence Industry Project: "Investigating Digital Influence in Elections" series.
About the speaker
Dr. Amber Macintyre is a researcher, facilitator, and currently the project lead of The Influence Industry Project at Tactical Tech. She has conducted unique research on private firms working in elections, as well as providing training to journalists and advising election professionals. Before this project, she completed her PhD at Royal Holloway on the effectiveness and ethics of the use of personal data in civil society campaigns.
About Us
Tactical Tech is an international non-profit organisation that engages with citizens and civil-society organisations to explore and mitigate the impacts of technology on society. Exposing the Invisible is a Tactical Tech project that develops resources, training and collaborations promoting investigation as one of the most important forms of public engagement.
This event is part of the CIJI project co-funded by the European Union.
Disclaimer:
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.