from Hacker News

How a Political Engineering Firm Exposed Their Code Base

by michaeljbishop on 3/26/18, 6:05 PM with 67 comments

  • by snowwrestler on 3/26/18, 7:10 PM

    The description of "Mamba-Jamba" sounds similar to what Harper Reed's team built for Obama's campaign in 2012.

    In terms of illegality, there would only be a problem if AggregateIQ was not properly compensated for their work by the U.S. political campaigns--i.e. if AggregateIQ improperly provided value to the campaign as "in kind" donations of work.

    If the campaigns paid AggregateIQ for their work, there's nothing illegal or even improper. Campaigns are allowed to purchase products or services from foreign sources.

  • by spdustin on 3/26/18, 7:00 PM

    Based on this tweet†, it seems that Chris downloaded the repos and put them online, encrypted using some of his personal information as a sort of "dead man's switch".

    † https://twitter.com/VickerySec/status/978056901677146112

  • by adamiscool8 on 3/26/18, 6:57 PM

    This looks like a tool for tracking voter canvassing, hardly a smoking gun of anything?

    The selective publication and inflammatory language makes me less likely to believe this is of any importance, other than tut-tutting at the server insecurity.

    The disinformation and jumping to conclusions in the comments of that tweet thread is extraordinary.

  • by michaeljbishop on 3/26/18, 6:25 PM

  • by chillingeffect on 3/26/18, 7:38 PM

    I'm not picking on or defending anyone, I'm just weary of the last years' worth of articles that keep claiming "smoking guns."

    Can anyone explain how this is illegal or damning? It appears the biggest reveal is some database/statistical tools. Do they do anything illegal? Is it illegal to outsource a project, especially to an ally like Canada?

    It seems they were developed as the result of an outsourced project, but does that count for anything?

    We knew CA was hired to help them win the election. I don't understand how that itself is wrong, legally either.

  • by ggg9990 on 3/26/18, 7:50 PM

    I don't see evidence here of anything more than the application of techniques long-used by advertisers like General Motors and Unilever to the political arena. It may be odious, and may make the world a worse place, but it is not particularly unusual, unexpected, or illegal as far as I know.

  • by TAForObvReasons on 3/26/18, 6:50 PM

    > using a custom version of popular code repository Gitlab, located at the web address gitlab.aggregateiq.com. Entering the URL, Gitlab prompts the user to register to see the contents - a free process which simply requires supplying an email address. Once registered, contents of the dozens of separate code repositories operated on the AggregateIQ Gitlab subdomain are entirely downloadable.

    Is this (anyone can register with an email address) the default mode for a self-hosted gitlab deployment?

  • by ExactoKnight on 3/27/18, 6:56 AM

    Where can we download the codebase. Seriously interested in seeing it.

  • by craftyguy on 3/26/18, 6:24 PM

    This is basically just some screenshots of a private gitlab instance? It would be trivial to fabricate this story.. Did he post the files publicly?

  • by fortean on 3/26/18, 7:34 PM

    Very informative! Thank you!!!

  • by soared on 3/26/18, 6:32 PM

    Actual write up: https://www.upguard.com/breaches/aggregate-iq-part-one

    Important to note this leak only (as of now) ever mentions ted cruz - nothing to do with Trump's campaign beside some handwavy connections between this marketing agency and cambridge analytica. Bannon is also literally never mentioned in the write up.

  • by danjoc on 3/26/18, 6:29 PM

    "There is no serious person out there who would suggest somehow that you could even rig America's elections" --Barrack Obama

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7F7eRM1oiU

  • by StanislavPetrov on 3/26/18, 7:51 PM

    If all the "breaking news" about the tactics used by the Trump team in last year's election were limited strictly to "new" tactics used by the Trump crowd, the volume of "news" released would shrink to a tiny fraction of what it is now. Unfortunately, as always, the problem lies with the ignorance of the American people. Its easy to portray underhanded and/or illegal tactics as being somehow unique to the Trump crowd when most people are entirely ignorant about how our political system works (and has worked) for decades. The fact is that campaigns on every level - local, state, and federal - have used data mining techniques, social media platforms, algorithms, and data of all sorts (both foreign and domestic) to influence everyone that possibly could in every way possible. Shining a bright light on any corner of our putrid political system (as is being done in the case of the Trump crowd) will uncover a host of shady, disreputable and/or illegal acts. It doesn't matter what corner you shine the light on or what party you choose to focus on.

    As someone who didn't vote for Trump, and doesn't support him, that's one of the (many) things I find so disheartening about this entire process. Pretending that Trump is somehow a unique problem that needs to be solved rather just another corrupt politician is to whitewash the rest of the crooks running our government. It isn't an accident that Trump is being portrayed as a unique menace. The levers of power in our government (and their minions in media) are very careful to paint the picture of this being an aberration. They are playing on the myth of "American exceptionalism". That's where the whole Russian-conspiracy nonsense plays in, because naturally, the American people would never vote to reject the establishment in favor of a despicable con-man like Trump unless they were influenced or fooled by evil Russians! If we can just get rid of Trump (and the free and open internet that allowed the evil Russians to influence us), then we can return to the wonderful status quo of the "Liberal Western Order" AKA monopolar US global hegemony, that is great for everyone!