1/ 🚨 Conspiracy theories about the 2024 election miss the bigger picture.
The truth? It wasn’t one night, one hack, or one fraud. It was a system rigged in plain sight – right in front of us. The playbook was out in the open for years. But hardly anyone paid attention.
Here’s how they did it... 🧵
2/ First, you may wonder: "How can someone like Trump win an election at all?" He seems to represent everything we teach our kids not to be. The answer lies beneath a web of powerful interests that has been hidden in plain sight for years.
3/ Let me ask you a question: How are the US elections, Brexit, churches, big data, and a handful of US billionaires all linked together? Let's connect the dots. Spoiler: This story is wild, sprawling, and goes much deeper than you think. An no, this is not about Russia.
4/ Let’s rewind for a moment: The UK in 2018 was in chaos post-Brexit. The US? Trump was in office – another monumental shock. What united both stories was the same tactic: using psychological manipulation to win hearts, minds, and votes.
5/ In 2018, a huge data scandal broke. Facebook was involved, and eyes turned to a shady firm named Cambridge Analytica. They claimed to "help advertisers reach audiences better." But their true work? Rigging society itself.
6/ Cambridge Analytica was no ordinary firm. It was a spin-off from a defence contractor, SCL, used to influencing elections and playing psychological warfare. Funded by the Mercer family, this firm was Trump's secret weapon.
Robert Mercer: the big data billionaire waging war on mainstream media
With links to Donald Trump, Steve Bannon and Nigel Farage, the rightwing American computer scientist is at the heart of a multimillion-dollar propaganda network
www.theguardian.com
7/ Before Trump, the Mercers saw an opportunity. They told Trump, "Use Cambridge Analytica’s services, and we will fund you bigly." He agreed. The result? Data mining, targeting, and manipulation on an unprecedented scale.
Cambridge Analytica: Undercover Secrets of Trump's Data Firm
YouTube video by Channel 4 News
youtu.be
8/ Until Brexit and Trump, no one really knew this type of large-scale psychological manipulation existed. But once people noticed, it became clear: democracy was at risk of being hacked. Suddenly, the world cared – at least for a moment.
Reaction as former Cambridge Analytica CEO is grilled by MPs
YouTube video by Channel 4 News
www.youtube.com
9/ The UK held a Parliamentary Inquiry to understand Cambridge Analytica’s influence. A panel of MPs grilled data execs, social media bosses, even Cambridge Analytica itself. Enter Charles Kriel, a UK Parliamentary adviser on data and disinformation who helped steer the questioning.
11/ Nix also claimed Cambridge Analytica had 5,000 data points on every US voter. They tried to play it down – saying this data wasn’t intrusive. But behind the scenes, their work was anything but benign.
12/ The company’s motto was: "With ten social media likes I can predict your behaviour better than your co-worker; with 300 likes, better than your spouse." Let that sink in. They could know you better than the people you live with.
13/ Cambridge Analytica's data operations focused on identifying personality types using the OCEAN 5-Factor Model. Once they had you figured out, they knew how to sway your vote. Their message? Personalized manipulation, designed for your specific psychology.
14/ The world was watching as whistle-blowers started speaking up. It wasn’t just about Facebook data. SCL, Cambridge Analytica's parent company, worked to influence elections globally – wherever influence was for sale, they were there.
15/ One whistle-blower, Chris Vickery, stumbled across a huge database of 191 million US voter records. When he cross-checked it, it seemed enriched – merged with consumer, credit, and even behavioural data. It was bigger than anyone thought.
16/ The UK inquiry stalled. Brexit chaos, waning public interest, and limited resources led to the investigation being closed. But some, like Kriel, couldn’t let it go. He needed answers. He packed up, assembled a team, and headed to the US.
17/ In the US, Trump seemed to be cosying up to televangelists. Photos showed them praying over him, Trump clutching a Bible. Evangelical Christians were being rallied as a key constituency.
Christian Leaders Pray Over Trump During Launch Of Evangelicals For Trump Coalition | NBC News
YouTube video by NBC News
youtu.be
18/ Kriel knew the evangelical link was crucial. He recalled Nix’s off-hand comment and began digging into data held by US churches. There was a name that kept popping up – "United In Purpose." They had an enormous voter dataset.
19/ This group had *all* the data: millions of US citizens. And when Kriel compared it to the GOP’s voter database, the match was too close to be a coincidence. So much for separation of church and state.
20/ Why did an evangelical group need data on 191 million Americans? Their dataset included “enriched profiles” – showing how likely people were to vote a certain way. It wasn't just for religious outreach; it was raw political power.
21/ Churches weren’t simply gathering data for their congregations. They were amassing detailed profiles on Americans, often targeting people's struggles: grief, addiction, financial stress. They saw vulnerability, and they seized the opportunity.
22/ Brent Allpress, a researcher, had found the Cambridge Analytica connection. And, yes, it involved churches. Allpress dug through CA's bankruptcy filings and found a link to a powerful group called the Philanthropy Roundtable, funded by the Koch brothers.
23/ And these links involved a curious program: the “Culture of Freedom Initiative.”
"COFI" had a mission: connect Cambridge Analytica’s data science with an app company named Gloo, based in Boulder, Colorado. The goal? Create a church-based microtargeting platform called “Insights.”
24/ Platforms like "Insights" by Gloo were used to gather and manage deeply personal insights into people's lives. They could predict if you were addicted, struggling in your marriage, or likely to donate to a cause. With this data, they found, churches could double turnout and donations.
25/ Data wasn't gathered through obvious means. It was often surveys, questionnaires – seemingly innocent. People thought they were just giving their thoughts to the church. In reality, they were handing over keys to their minds.
26/ The Insights platform was aggressively marketed to churches to grow attendance. How? By targeting people at their weakest – relationship issues, financial trouble, addictions. Gloo promised to help churches grow, but at a deeper level, it was about control.
27/ They openly discussed how to increase donations. If they could target people in moments of crisis, these people would give twice as much to the church. It was a money-making machine, exploiting personal data under the guise of faith.
28/ This was the connection. The Koch brothers funded COFI, who contracted Cambridge Analytica and worked with Gloo to roll out the Insights platform.
The data Kriel found? It was a bridge between church apps, Cambridge Analytica, and the GOP.
29/ Sven Hughes, a former psychological warfare operative sounded the alarm: these tactics were similar to how extremist groups like ISIS exploit communities to recruit members – by embedding themselves in moments of vulnerability, offering simple answers, and creating dependency.
Meet Brittany Kaiser, Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower Releasing Troves of New Files From Data Firm
YouTube video by Democracy Now!
youtu.be
30/ It turned out the Koch brothers – not exactly known for their religious fervour – were funding data-driven church initiatives that weren’t about saving souls; it was about political mobilization. The churches were becoming data nodes in a national power play.
31/ Katherine Stewart, author of "The Power Worshippers," explained how this works. Pastors across the country became agents for political operatives. High-level meetings with evangelical leaders weren’t about faith – they were about mobilizing voters.
32/ Churches have a power companies crave: relationships. Using Gloo, they could manipulate and influence people’s choices. And the Koch-funded initiative provided the tech to scale that influence – from pulpits to voting booths.
33/ Kriel and his team spoke to people within these networks. He heard stories of young people on college campuses drawn in by groups like CRU (formerly Campus Crusade for Christ). These groups would often “shepherd” them into increasingly extreme ideologies.
34/ At first, they would just introduce students to religion. But soon, the messaging grew darker: “Homosexuality is a sin,” “Abortion is murder.” Members were pressured to cut ties with liberal friends and family, isolating them – classic cult tactics.
35/ Some groups even targeted members of the military. CRU had a chapter called “Military Crusaders.” Their stated mission? “Take the state for Christ, then take the country.” These were not small-scale religious efforts; they were radical power grabs.
36/ Kriel tracked down JP De Gance, the founder of COFI. De Gance had previously worked in public policy using data analytics. Now he was applying those same skills to ministry. And, as Kriel learned, the Koch brothers backed him.
37/ De Gance spoke of charitable donors who saw their wealth as “God’s resources.” They wanted to use their money to fund “voluntary civil action” – meaning shaping American life in a way they deemed fit. One such donor? The Heritage Foundation.
38/ The Heritage Foundation, an ultra-conservative think tank, wasn’t just funding charity. They were funding tools to mobilize church members politically. This was the same group behind Project 2025, aiming to re-engineer the entire US government.
39/ Churches were running programs like “Grief Share,” targeting those experiencing loss. They would funnel grieving people into church communities – people who were vulnerable and looking for comfort. And all the while, data was gathered.
40/ These "ministry tools" turned grief, addiction, and marital trouble into entry points. Personal information was harvested under the guise of support. That information was then shared, matched with other databases, and weaponized.
41/ Kriel visited mega-churches in Alabama, where they proudly showed off tech-driven congregation management. Churches tracked everything: donations, social media activity, kids' involvement, even parents' influence over children.
42/ One disturbing thing Kriel saw was a chart showing “how many weeks a parent has left to influence their child.” Churches were using data to remind parents how to shape their children’s beliefs. It was behavioural design – religious indoctrination, micromanaged.
43/ And the platform allowed churches to reach beyond their congregation. With data on thousands of people, they could use Facebook to find friends of friends – creating a spiderweb of influence across communities.
44/ Kriel knew he needed to understand more. He reached out to Chris Vickery, who had exposed the voter records database. Vickery explained that churches didn’t just have data on members – they were merging it with voter data, social profiles, and more.
45/ Churches knew far more than just names and addresses. They knew who struggled with addiction, who had financial issues, who was going through a divorce. And from that, they could infer who was easily manipulated – who could be influenced politically.
46/ United in Purpose, the group behind the massive voter dataset, had leaders convicted of embezzlement. Their focus wasn't spiritual. It was political. They were building an army of voters, and churches were their recruitment centres.
47/ Anne Nelson, author of "Shadow Network," came across a fundamentalist broadcaster promoting hardline views. That broadcaster turned out to be part of a massive network – a network linked to an organization called the Council for National Policy (CNP).
48/ The CNP is a secretive group of ultra-conservatives. Their meetings and membership were private. But their influence was massive. They connected church groups, data platforms, and political operatives – all working to push the GOP further right.
49/ Nelson explained that many top Trump allies were CNP members: Kellyanne Conway, Steve Bannon, and many others. The CNP’s mission? Reinforce the idea of America as a Christian nation and push their form of Christianity into dominance.
50/ In June 2016, CNP invited 1,000 evangelical leaders to meet Trump. They cut a deal. Evangelicals would support Trump with data, ground troops, and strategy. In return, Trump would give them three things: influence over federal judges, an evangelical council, and…
51/ …a seat at the power table. Evangelical leaders were promised influence in exchange for their grassroots power. This is why people who were previously “never Trumpers” were converted. They began to call Trump “Cyrus” – an imperfect tool, but anointed by God.
52/ The CNP was deeply intertwined with data operations and political strategies. Their aim was to push a radical agenda through covert means, leveraging data to influence and control voter behaviour on a large scale.
53/ They had a bigger plan, too. They aimed to rewrite the US Constitution. They wanted to control state legislatures, and with enough states, they could call a constitutional convention. They weren’t just aiming for power – they wanted to reshape America.
54/ Brent Allpress found a critical flaw in the CNP’s website. He accessed a search function for members, revealing their plans. They were working state by state to pass restrictive laws and with enough states they could eventually call a constitutional convention.
55/ This convention wouldn’t just change one or two amendments. Once called, anything could be introduced: limits on marriage equality, reproductive rights, federal regulations – even term limits. The goal? A constitution that served their ideology.
56/ This movement was using the tools of democracy to dismantle democracy. The church members being targeted didn’t even know. They were being told to “vote your values,” unaware that they were being manipulated by defence-grade data operations.
57/ Kriel kept digging. He found a lead on the next CNP meeting. It was happening at the Ritz-Carlton in New Orleans. He booked a room in the same hotel, packed hidden cameras, and went in undercover.
58/ The security was tight. Police surrounded the hotel, parts of Canal Street were locked down, and no one was allowed in or out. He saw powerful people – wealthy, arrogant, and ready to shape America. A video was being played at the conference featuring what appears to be J.D. Vance.
59/ The CNP members spoke openly about their ambitions. They needed to overcome PAC rules against campaign coordination. They had the data that could help target voters and swing them towards Trump; they just needed to figure out how to bypass the rules and use it.
60/ And then Kriel saw something remarkable: the lobby was filled with Secret Service. Vice President Mike Pence was arriving. He was there to address the CNP. This wasn’t just a fringe group. It was deeply tied to the highest levels of power.
61/ Members of the CNP weren’t just rich conservatives. They were Trump’s advisors, White House officials, and power brokers. They had influence from the church pews to the Oval Office, and they weren’t shy about their goals.
62/ In 2018, the Koch network lobbied to cut $1 billion from the CDC. And, remarkably, Trump did just that – defunding pandemic preparedness. During COVID-19, these same groups pushed to reopen churches, knowing they were losing chances to mobilize voters.
63/ When COVID hit in 2020, churches pivoted. Gloo, CRU, and Communio rebranded their messaging. They urged congregations to collect data, target members with personalized outreach, and sign people up for church networks. The pandemic was just another opportunity to gather influence.
64/ The conspiracy map was complete. This wasn’t just about 2016. It wasn’t even just about Trump. It was a massive effort – a coordinated network that linked churches, data platforms, billionaires, and political strategists, all aimed at reshaping America.
65/ After narrowly losing in 2020, the evolved playbook once again proved a winning strategy in 2024.
With Elon Musk buying Twitter, the potential to integrate massive data pools for targeted influence campaigns had only grown. We’re not just facing a stolen elections; we’re facing stolen psyches.
66/ These discoveries reveal something chilling: democracy isn’t being dismantled in backroom deals alone. It’s happening in our minds, often without us noticing. Most people think, “I wasn’t targeted, so it doesn’t affect me.” But that’s exactly what makes it so dangerous.
67/ This isn’t about influencing everyone. It’s about microtargeting – finding the right people at the right time, nudging them just enough to sway outcomes. You may not have been the target today, but as the methods evolve, no one is truly safe from influence.
68/ Imagine a future where rights are quietly stripped away, not through major legislation, but by covertly influencing just enough voters to pass them. That’s the power of data and psychological profiling. Your vulnerabilities turned into tools against you.
69/ Think about it: grief, financial struggle, personal doubts – each moment of vulnerability used to sway your beliefs and behaviours. Your private life becomes a battleground, weaponized against you, pushing you towards specific votes and views without consent.
70/ With the growing threat from AI and the blurring of the lines of what is real, the precision of influence could reach chilling new levels. Your feed becomes a tool to target your fears with custom-crafted content to manipulate your choices.
71/ In 2028 or 2032, campaigns might not just use ads but create AI-driven, personalized messages that influence millions invisibly. People won’t even know why they feel a certain way – their fears, hopes, and doubts subtly shaped by hidden networks.
72/ These tactics don’t just win elections; they reshape rights. Laws about healthcare, marriage, privacy could be rewritten by manipulating the right people. Once changed, these rights could be locked away for good, impossible to reverse in a stacked system.
73/ It’s not just one election at risk. It’s whether democracy can survive a world of invisible data manipulation. If unchecked, we’ll wake up in a society where rights are privileges, determined by those with enough data and power to influence the masses.
74/ Our challenge now isn’t just understanding what happened in 2016 or 2024. It’s recognizing that if we don’t demand transparency and protection of our data, our vulnerabilities will keep being exploited – until democracy is just a memory.
/75 Thanks for reading, if you found this thread eye-opening and you recognize in it what is now being put into action by the incoming Trump administration, please share it and together let's spread awareness of what has been happening right under our noses.
/76 Full credit for the material in this thread goes to the makers of "People You May Know" which was released on YouTube in December 2021.
Remarkably, it has only received 19,854 views so far since then - this REALLY should have been seen by million of us!
Go watch the full documentary here 👇
Data and Disinformation: Investigating Cambridge Analytica (Exposé Documentary) | Real Stories
YouTube video by Real Stories
www.youtube.com
If you want to share this thread, please repost the 1/ item in the sequence to keep the running order intact and as intended. 🙏🏼
Link: bsky.app
With huge respect to @charleskriel.bsky.social – who is nothing short of a hero in my view!
His dedication, bravery, and hard work in exposing these powerful networks deserve our gratitude. Thank you!
It must be so utterly frustrating having done all this work and watching everyone ignore it!