((Updated July 3, 2017, see PS
1. Now we know what the ‘mass surveillance’ is used for: central power to control on a massive scale individual mindsets/mental maps (M) of people. In other words ‘Massive Micro Targeting’.
2. Calls for the ‘impeachment’ of the POTUS Donald Trump or his resignation, are redundant and will, if implemented, be ineffective. Based on the investigations & reports listed on this blogpage the election of said POTUS should be declared invalid and the WH actions since that should be rolled back. Destructive Bannonism should be stopped.
3. Other elections and referenda should be carefully re-examined in the light of the reported tools for manipulation of the electorates and safeguards should be put in place by the highest possible authorities to prevent further criminal acts of damaging “DEMOCRACY”, or what is left of that in the country involved, Using [micro targeting for political purposes] on any scale should be declared against the law and punishable as treason. We should publish a red line should that can not be crossed without punishment.
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What has become visible are the following papers and books about “Propaganda”, “PsyOps”, “Psychographics”, “micro-targeting “, “mass manipulation to influence elections”, “Mass Mental Manipulation“: ((I will add my own analysis and recommendations to this blogpage, in updates ))
A. The first warning that Mass Mental Manipulation (MMM) was going on was published (in German) by a group of Swiss, German & Dutch scholars. published by Spektrum der Wissenschaft:
[A] Helbing, D., Frey, B. S., Gigerenzer, G., Hafen, E., Hagner, M., Hofstetter, Y., van den Hoven, J., Zicari, R. V., & Zwitter, A (december 2015). “Digitale Demokratie statt Datendiktatur,” http://www.spektrum.de/news/wie-algorithmen-und-big-data-unsere-zukunft-bestimmen/1375933
B. A more extended version of that paper was published (in English) two years later in Scientific American: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/will-democracy-survive-big-data-and-artificial-intelligence/
[B] Helbing, D., Frey, B. S., Gigerenzer, G., Hafen, E., Hagner, M., Hofstetter, Y., van den Hoven, J., Zicari, R. V., & Zwitter, A.: Will democracy survive Big Data and Artificial Intelligence? Scientific American, February 25, 2017)
Full text ((very much recommended read))
C. Several articles about the capabilities of Cambridge Analytica (UK) (former Director: Bannon), the business promotion presentations of Aleksander Nix, CEO explaining how effective their tools and algorithms work. And articles downplaying their effectiveness and denying that these tools where used on any scale during the referenda in for instance the UK leading up to #Brexit and the nomination process of Democratic and Republican candidates for POTUS. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/04/cambridge-analytics-data-brexit-trump The curious thing is that the legal company who represents #CambridgeAnalytics was proud to show a world map depicting all the countries that did make use of their algorithms.
The following article was posted on Facebook by Michel Bauwens and Christian Wahl in P2P.
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Another article describing what was/is done is: https://medium.com/@profcarroll/confronting-a-nightmare-for-democracy-5333181ca675
((update June 3 :)) Article in the New York Review of Books describing the scientists that started research in the 1970’s on what later became the Cambridge Analytica algorithms, Tversky and Kahneman : http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2017/04/20/kahneman-tversky-invisible-mind-manipulators/
D. Recent book (March 2017) by prof. Cass R. Sunstein of Harvard Law School
[D] ” #Republic: Divided Democracy in the Age of Social Media ” Princeton University Press.
From the New York Times bestselling author of Nudge and The World According to Star Wars, a revealing account of how today’s Internet threatens democracy–and what can be done about it. As the Internet grows more sophisticated, it is creating new threats to democracy. Social media companies such as Facebook can sort us ever more efficiently into groups of the like-minded, creating echo chambers that amplify our views. It’s no accident that on some occasions, people of different political views cannot even understand each other.((See image above)). It’s also no surprise that terrorist groups have been able to exploit social media to deadly effect. Welcome to the age of #Republic. In this revealing book, Cass Sunstein, the New York Times bestselling author of Nudge and The World According to Star Wars, shows how today’s Internet is driving political fragmentation, polarization, and even extremism–and what can be done about it. Thoroughly rethinking the critical relationship between democracy and the Internet, Sunstein describes how the online world creates “cybercascades,” exploits “confirmation bias,” and assists “polarization entrepreneurs.” And he explains why online fragmentation endangers the shared conversations, experiences, and understandings that are the lifeblood of democracy. In response, Sunstein proposes practical and legal changes to make the Internet friendlier to democratic deliberation. These changes would get us out of our information cocoons by increasing the frequency of unchosen, unplanned encounters and exposing us to people, places, things, and ideas that we would never have picked for our Twitter feed. #Republic need not be an ironic term. As Sunstein shows, it can be a rallying cry for the kind of democracy that citizens of diverse societies most need.
E. The Government and Parliament of Sweden raised the alarm and has started steps to safeguard Democracy and their elections in 2018. They have been and are under constant fire (bitfire) from Russia so they know what they are talking about.
G. (UK) Indepth May 18th article in The Economist about mass targeting
“Nudge comes to shovePolicymakers around the world are embracing behavioural science
An experimental, iterative, data-driven approach is gaining ground”
” Connecting the Dots: Political Microtargeting and the Russia Investigation” By Kate Brannen
Friday, May 19, 2017 at 1:02 PM
Very very much recommended read, since it shows how all the above mentioned players worked (work?) together to influence elections and REFERENDA. And it shows what the Russians did. This explains also why Trump has enlisted 1.3 million Russian bots for some event in the near future.
I. Here is a political podcast (May 18th): George Monbiot interviewed by Russell Brand:
https://art19.com/shows/under-the-skin/episodes/5d41796c-b5fb-4613-8621-b900673a8861
“Fascism Or Democracy – Is This Our Last Chance To Choose?”
George Monbiot and Brand discuss the dark money capturing our politics for the billionaires and corporations; the terrifying power of Big Data; and the opportunity for a new democracy. They do tell who is behind the mass mindfucking and why. Monbiot’s gives the core idea’s to counter the alt-right propaganda. Monbiot’s upcoming book can be preordered at Amazon.
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I hope you could “Connect The Dots” YOURSELF from the above publications.
The crux of this blogpage is IMHO the fact that Mass Surveillance (breaking down privacy) and Mass Micro Targeting to influence voter mindsets (manipulating elections) are processes that are sequential steps in a much larger effort to gain and keep control of the populus. If we allow that Demos (population) is not ruling anymore and Democracy evaporated.
Years ago Thomas Drake told me that he resigned at the NSA when the generals there refused to destroy the gathered snooping information after the Patterns relevant for national security (like for fighting terrorism) had been extracted. The generals wanted to keep the info from all people and companies everywhere stored. Now we know why they wanted that. For the power to control.
On my question to Thomas Drake why he whistleblowed at a historical moment he replied: “I was an eyewitness to the continuing history of the human condition where power often turns pathological, used to abuse others & for gain.”
There are initiatives started to counter destructive threats to Civil Society, described above. One of them is The Prague Appeal for Democratic Renewal (Adopted in Prague on May 26, 2017 )
“Liberal democracy is under threat, and all who cherish it must come to its defense.” Read the Appeal here –> http://www.forum2000.cz/en/coalition-for-democratic-renewal
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I hope you will make the right choices for yourself and for the long term general interest:
And for your local ecology and Nature we all are part of on this planet.
jaap van till, TheConnectivist
PS 1. Journalists are digging up more traces of links between UK and US activists leading up to the US election and #Brexit voting : https://twitter.com/peterjukes/status/863711995547332610
((Version of this blogpage: July 3, 2017 ))
The Connectivist 
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