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Bitcoin Businesses Facebook The Almighty Buck

Cambridge Analytica Planned To Launch Its Own Cryptocurrency (theverge.com) 60

Cambridge Analytica, the data analytics firm that harvested millions of Facebook profiles of U.S. voters, attempted to develop its own cryptocurrency this past year and intended to raise funds through an initial coin offering. The digital coin would have helped people store online personal data and even sell it, former Cambridge Analytica employee Brittany Kaiser told The New York Times. The Verge reports: Cambridge Analytica, which obtained the data of 87 million Facebook users, was hoping to raise as much as $30 million through the venture, anonymous sources told Reuters. Cambridge Analytica confirmed to Reuters that it had previously explored blockchain technology, but did not confirm the coin offering and didn't say whether efforts are still underway. The company also reportedly attempted to promote another digital currency behind the scenes. It arranged for potential investors to take a vacation trip to Macau in support of Dragon Coin, a cryptocurrency aimed at casino players. Dragon Coin has been supported by a Macau gangster Wan Kuok-koi, nicknamed Broken Tooth, according to documents obtained by the Times. Cambridge Analytica started working on its own initial coin offering mid-2017 and the initiative was overseen in part by CEO Alexander Nix and former employee Brittany Kaiser. The company's plans to launch an ICO were still in the early stages when Nix was suspended last month and the Facebook data leak started to gain public attention.
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Cambridge Analytica Planned To Launch Its Own Cryptocurrency

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  • by Anonymous Coward

    How bout not posting story summaries with your GOD DAMNED IPHONE!!!!!!!!!!

    • by Anonymous Coward

      IMO, this scandal should result in the firing of BeauHD as an editor.

      Let him continue to sit around doing nothing and collecting a paycheck if you want (in other words, no actual change to his job description), but don't let him approve submissions anymore.

  • An absolutely superior and trustworthy company!

    Maybe they want to make some buck after their recent flop?
  • Well, colour me surprised.

  • by OpenSourced ( 323149 ) on Wednesday April 18, 2018 @12:16AM (#56456443) Journal

    Their mission statement must read something like: "To exploit and profit from misguided public trust in any recent data or computing platform, before their lack of any safeguard becomes widely known"

    Next step, I suppose they will turn into something AI related, like predictive-algorithm-guided stock investing or something equally juicy.

  • here is the twist, he would sell the data in the drive before you pay the ransom and probably after...
  • by dohzer ( 867770 )

    One scam meets another.

  • It's called the Ruble

  • by Anne Thwacks ( 531696 ) on Wednesday April 18, 2018 @01:56AM (#56456625)
    No need to worry. At least we can be sure this one is a Corrupto-Currency.
    • by Anonymous Coward
      According to Krusty the klown, the correct term is Klepto-Kurrency.

      I expect the performance will be identical, regardless of name.

    • No need to worry. At least we can be sure this one is a Corrupto-Currency.

      Cymbal Crash! I propose we call this sort of burn a "Thwaks"

  • by FudRucker ( 866063 ) on Wednesday April 18, 2018 @02:05AM (#56456643)
    and the FBI confiscate all their computer hardware, desktops, laptops, storage systems, EVERYTHING and inspected for illegal activity then run through a shredder. All their employees personal electronics confiscated and searched and if any employee has any data on other people they be arrested and investigated for identity theft, and the whole outfit shut down, they are basically criminals
    • and the FBI confiscate all their computer hardware

      Aren't they in the UK? I think this is outside the FBI's jurisdiction, unless you meant to say Scotland Yard.

      The UK also hasn't been to keen on extradition lately.

      https://theintercept.com/2018/... [theintercept.com]

    • While we're at it lets do that to Facebook, Twitter, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, well you probably see where I'm going here... No?

  • by Liquid Len ( 739188 ) on Wednesday April 18, 2018 @02:22AM (#56456677)
    Man, I'm watching Mr Robot these days, and Cambridge Analytica looks more and more to me like a real-life version of E Corp... http://mrrobot.wikia.com/wiki/... [wikia.com]
    • Except that e-corp actually have some technical chops. These guys are an ad agency with a lot of guff about what they might be able to do.
  • by Anonymous Coward

    The first ICO to steal both your data and your money! Amazing.

  • Are the tickers $SPY and $ANAL taken yet? Probably.

    No problem, they can still combine the two and be $ANALSPY. Brand recognition right there.
  • With Cambridge Analytica the cryptocoin owns you.
  • Cambridge Analytica is the company behind recent Facebook’s massive data leak scandal. It is now planning to issues its own cryptocurrency and aiming to raise funds through ICOs. It is also tried to promote Dragon Coin associated with a Macau gangster. The company tried a variety of technologies including blockchain. here is also similar info: https://coinpedia.org/news/cam... [coinpedia.org]

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