British politician ‘Admits Cambridge Analytica Role In Kenya Election’
A British politician has admitted she secretly worked for the data firm Cambridge Analytica on a controversial 2017 election campaign in Kenya, according to an exclusive report by Channel 4 News in the UK.
The broadcaster says Brexit Party MEP Alexandra Phillips initially denied the reports and threatened to sue the TV channel, but adds that it uncovered an audio recording from 2017 in which Ms Philiips reportedly admitted to being “employed by Cambridge Analytica”.
Last week, US regulators approved a record $5bn (£4bn) fine on Facebook to settle an investigation into data privacy violations, amid investigations into allegations that political consultancy Cambridge Analytica improperly obtained the data of up to 87 million Facebook users.
Last year, footage emerged in which Cambridge Analytica bosses were apparently caught on camera boasting of the control they had exerted in Kenya’s 2017 election, which saw President Uhuru Kenyatta re-elected.
The company denies any wrongdoing.
At the time, Mr Kenyatta’s Jubilee party downplayed the impact of the group, saying they employed the company’s parent company, SCL, to help with branding.
Channel 4 News says Ms Phillips admitted working for SCL on the campaign, reportedly telling the broadcaster on Monday night: