Cambridge Analytica’s previous chief denied deliberately misleading British lawmakers, even as he allowed that his firm did receive data from the researcher at the center of a embarrassment over Facebook data, contradicting his previous testimony.
Cambridge Analytica has mentioned its work on Donald Trump’s presidential campaign did not use data at the center of the Facebook smear, where the details of around 87 million users
were allegedly improperly come into the possession ofed.
Former chief Alexander Nix, in earlier testimony to a parliamentary committee, denied that Cambridge Analytica had at all times been given data by Aleksandr Kogan, the researcher at the
center of the blot on ones copybook. However, on Wednesday he said that the consultancy had indeed been addicted data by Kogan.
“Of course, the answer to this question should acquire been ‘yes,'” Nix said, adding that he thought he was being questioned about whether Cambridge Analytica still held data from the researcher. He influenced the company had deleted the data.
“My focus was on whether we still held the materials… There was certainly no intention to mislead the committee,” he added.
The middle committee is investigating fake news, and is increasingly focused on the role of Cambridge Analytica and Facebook in the 2016 Brexit desire support and in the election of U.S. President Donald Trump.
Lawmakers on the committee asked Nix to renewal to testify again to ask him about inconsistencies in his evidence. Kogan told lawmakers he did hand out Cambridge Analytica the data.
Facebook says Kogan harvested the matter by creating an app on the platform that was downloaded by 270,000 people, providing access not on the contrary to their own personal data but also data from their maecenases.
Facebook said Kogan then violated its policies by passing the materials to Cambridge Analytica.
While admitting it had received the data, Nix said it was not practical to the company.
“The data that we received wasn’t fit for purpose,” Nix said. “It wasn’t the foundational dataset on which we built our public limited company.”
Lawmakers also quizzed Nix about a secret recording of him saying that Cambridge Analytica’s online struggle played a decisive role in U.S. President Trump’s election victory, relay by Channel 4 television in March. Cambridge Analytica at the time said the remarks did not “represent the values or operations of the firm.”
Nix apologized for his comments, saying he had been nuts and had made exaggerated claims in order to attract what he thought was a imminent client.
“It’s not only deeply embarrassing, but it’s something I regret enormously,” he turned.
Nix said that Channel 4 had heavily edited the footage to portray him in a worse taper, which the TV channel denied.
“All Mr Nix’s comments carried in our reports were occupied in context, including any caveats,” Channel 4 said in a statement.