Comments on: Data Crunching for Obama

By: SM Intern

SM Intern — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:28:01 +0000

You know what's ugly, unnecessary and against our commenting policy? Personal attacks.

I mean, if you really have something "important" to say about someone who isn't even related to the topic at hand, have the guts to do it under your own name, so that the person you are flaming knows whom to spill a drink on, at the next party. Thanks.

By: Priya

Priya — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:51:28 +0000

Correct link to Numerati by Stephen Baker

By: Priya

Priya — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 02:40:11 +0000

This trend started with behaviourial economics...the business world caught the craze with neuromarketing [ Buying in ]. Actually Clinton's campiagn manager came up with an interesting book [ Microtrends ] on profiling various groups of people. All these is advanced data mining [ Supercruncher, Numerati ] applied to society/economics/business etc.

By: MoorNam

MoorNam — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:41:57 +0000

A lot of the demographic information in the voter information is available as part of public records. The states file and disclose this information. Pollsters (and pollster tech companies like Catalist) are operating within the ambit of the current laws.

Difficult to believe. Catalist is targetting individuals/family based on data they got - so it's got to be more granular than that. They probably got their hands on voter lists. You know, someone else could get their hands on voter lists and put them to...a different use.

M. Nam

By: DDiA

DDiA — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:22:35 +0000

For further information please google “voter file public information “

By: DDiA

DDiA — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:21:02 +0000

Ok, I have to jump in into this whole "privacy" argument.

A lot of the demographic information in the voter information is available as part of public records. The states file and disclose this information. Pollsters (and pollster tech companies like Catalist) are operating within the ambit of the current laws.

If you feel scared about it, I suggest you take it up with your neighbourhood Federal circuit judge.

By: Amrita

Amrita — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 09:59:33 +0000

Extrapolating information about attitudes and political leanings from profiles of consumers doesn't strike me as being inherently sinister. Of course, the technology could conceivably be turned to other kinds of Big Brother-ish use. This election happens to be taking place in a moment when better educated and therefore likely more liberal people are more inclined and better equipped to network online.

Traditional scandalmongering techniques are alive and well, though, and are technologically up to date in a very broad or crude sense, as in the Auntie Zeituni scandal. While The Times of London broke the story on Thursday with the clear intention of damaging Obama on these shores at the eleventh hour, and, I suspect, without being bound by U.S. confidentiality and privacy laws, the story was addressed quite rapidly by several segments of the American press on the Left, Left-ish and Right, including a selection of random, scandal-happy blogs.

By: KarmaByte

KarmaByte — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:59:08 +0000

12 Ã‚Â· Manju said

I haven’t read the post but I can just tell you intuitively that micro-targeting makes no sense.

If it doesn’t then there is another bubble ready to burst in the marketing industry

By: KarmaByte

KarmaByte — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:56:05 +0000

1 Â· MoorNam said

Violation of privacy? I smell a lawsuit not too much into the future

Always wondered about that! I have worked on such data myself (marketing industry). Aware of any lawsuits on it?

By: Manju

Manju — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:48:33 +0000

I haven’t read the post but I can just tell you intuitively that micro-targeting makes no sense. As if people vote based on size. And for the Obama camp to focus on desis just reinforces the worst stereotype out there about us.