BBC documentary clip goes viral, shows Congress poster in office of Cambridge Analytica's ex-CEO Alexander Nix
A day after Cambridge Analytica’s former expert Christopher Wylie named the Indian National Congress as firm’s ‘client’ during a testimony before the British Parliament, a BBC documentary has gone viral that has left the Opposition party red-faced.
A photo from the 2017 BBC documentary is being shared widely on the social media that shows the Congress party poster in the office of Alexander Nix, the former CEO of Cambridge Analytica.
Tech journalist Jamie Bartlett had made the documentary on the theme of ‘secrets of silicon valley’.
‘I can confirm this is NOT a photoshop,’ Bartlett said on Twitter. In a series of tweets, he said that, ‘Indian press picking up that Cambridge Analytica worked for the Congress Party - and it’s causing a storm. Spotted hanging on the wall in Cambridge A’s office when I was there recently with @BBCTwo (sic).’
‘And I can confirm this is NOT a photoshop. I was in the room, and I remember it. Here’s another shot, it’s hanging up in Nix’s office, front and centre. This screengrab taken from my version of the doc,’ he added.
In a quick reaction on the latest development, Union Minister Smriti Irani also mocked the Congress.
‘Kya Baat hai @RahulGandhi Ji.. Congress ka Haath, Cambridge Analytica ke Saath! (sic),’ she tweeted on Wednesday evening.
However, after the furore, Bartlett made a statement on the micro-blogging site and said that, ‘This is causing a stir in India. However, I did not ask Nix about Cambridge Analytica’s relationship with the National Congress Party, so I cannot comment helpfully on that I’m afraid.’
On Wednesday, Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Wylie claimed that JD(U) had availed the services of the data mining firm's parent company SCL’s services in 2010. Yesterday, he had told a UK parliamentary committee, Cambridge Analytica had been employed by the Indian National Congress.
He wrote on Twitter: “I've been getting a lot of requests from Indian journalists, so here are some of SCL's past projects in India. To the most frequently asked question - yes SCL/CA works in India and has offices there. This is what modern colonialism looks like.”
While the slides don’t mention any other party, they do explicitly name Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) as a client in 2010.
Wylie deposed before the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (DCMS) amid an escalating row around alleged Facebook data breaches linked with the controversial UK-based company, which has also been linked with alleged attempts to influence elections in India.
"When you look at Facebook's biggest market, India is the top in terms of numbers of users. Obviously, that's a country which is rife with political discord and opportunities for destabilisation," said Labour MP Paul Farrelly, member of the parliamentary committee, during his questioning. "They (Cambridge Analytica) worked extensively in India. They have an office in India," Wylie responded.
"I believe their client was Congress, but I know that they have done all kinds of projects. I don't remember a national project but I know regionally. India's so big that one state can be as big as Britain. But they do have offices there, they do have staff there," the 28-year-old added, on being probed further. He offered to provide the committee "documentation" on India, which was welcomed by Farrelly, who said India was a country that did not need any added "tensions".
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