– Cites Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal

THE Alliance for Change (AFC) will soon be contacting experts in its America diaspora to file complaints to social media giant Facebook on plans that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) intends to use the platform “to rig elections.”

This is according to Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, in a telephone interview with the Guyana Chronicle on Monday.

Minister Ramjattan accused the PPP of hiring the Washington-based public relations firm, Mercury Public Affairs, to target thousands of Guyanese on the social media platform, convincing them to vote for the opposition through disgruntled messages.

He explained that the disinformation, misinformation and fake news will be packaged in a professional manner against the APNU/AFC administration.

“Bharrat Jagdeo is so cunning and wicked that that firm has nothing to do with public relations, but with brain-washing people through targeted advertisements,” the Public Security Minister said.

Minister Ramjattan said that the distractions that will surface on Guyanese Facebook user’s accounts will focus heavily on election campaign advertisements aimed at distorting voters’ perspectives.

He explained that the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal was a major political scandal in early 2018, when it was revealed that Cambridge Analytica had harvested the personal data of millions of people’s Facebook profiles, without their consent, and used same for political advertising purposes.

Minister Ramjattan noted, that the scandal has been described as a watershed moment in the public understanding of personal data, and precipitated a massive fall in Facebook’s stock price and calls for tighter regulation of tech companies’ use of data.

Meanwhile, the PPP has hired Mercury Public Affairs to run its elections campaign. The firm was one of the groups that were recruited by Paul Manafort, seven years ago, to help improve the image of the Russia-aligned president of Ukraine, the New York Times reported recently.

The PPP on March 5, 2019, signed a contract with Mercury Public Affairs.

According to the contract, which was seen by this newspaper, the firm will provide strategic consulting and management services specific to issues facing the party in areas of government relations and issues management.

The services, according to contract, shall include, but not limited to, representing the party before and arranging meetings with the Executive Branch and the Congress of the United States, the Organisation of American States and think-tanks in connection with issues relating to the anticipated general and regional elections.

Additionally, according to the contract, the PPP agreed to pay the firm US$ 150,000; US$100,000 of which had to be paid at the time of the signing of the contract and the remainder on May 1, 2019.

The PPP also agreed to pay and reimburse the firm for all business expenses in providing the services for it.

The party also has to pay the lobby firm for all filing fees, costs and expenses paid or incurred related to compliance requirements in any jurisdiction.