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Abstract: This discussion is aimed at analyzing the influence operations carried out by Cambridge Analytica in Facebook focusing on the activities performed during 2016. After the 2016 worldwide elections, it is important to note the role that Influence operations will potentially play in influencing national elections as well as international geopolitical relationships. We now need to be aware of how influence campaigns and influence operations will play an increasingly important role in competition between nation states. Anticipatory ethics and the identification of the ethical issues related to what is now referred to as the Facebook - Cambridge Analytica scandal can provide a fundamental basis for determining policy about social media in order to mitigate influence operations as part of information and cyber warfare operations. This analysis interprets influence operations from the perspectives of a variety of stakeholders in order to explore what this emerging type of social media warfare, may look like in the future. The object of this research is to identify the ethical issues with the types of influence operations carried out in the Facebook - Cambridge Analytica scandal and to use the insights gained in order to formulate policy about social media. Recommendations will be made from this research about what should be of concern for policy makers about influence operations in the future.
Keywords: Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, cyber warfare, information warfare, influence operations, ethics, anticipatory ethics
1.Introduction
This analysis is a case study and anticipatory ethical analysis of Facebook, Cambridge Analytica (CA), and influence operations. (For a general background account of the (CA) scandal see: Bloomberg April 10, 2018.) The goal of this case study and research is to provide an example of how non-state actors including corporations and private companies can influence political events through influence operations. The mechanisms involved in this influence operation are now capable of being used in competition between nation-state actors and need to be studied as part of cyber warfare strategies if the complete range of cyber strategy is to be understood. This analysis is aimed at examining the role of the influence operations of Cambridge Analytica in connection with the 2016 United States political campaign and presidential election, by studying the effect of and ethical issues arising from the Cambridge Analytic - Facebook...