Data and Elections in Chile: Update from Datos Protegidos

The Datos Protegidos team has continued to investigate the use of personal data used in political campaigns building from the original country study (link). This new update outlines how the law that protects privacy and personal data has developed from 1999 to 2018 as well as how these laws are poorly monitored for compliance. The Datos Protegidos team, therefore, took four approaches to investigate the implementation of data collection and use by political parties in Chile:

  • Firstly, the team investigated 12 municipalities of Santiago, Chile for what data the municipalities collect, use and share with third parties – including evidence of facial recognition and videographic data shared with investigative police.
  • Secondly, the team examined the neighbourhood safety app, So-Safe, due to its links with Predictable Media – a firm participating in right-wing political campaigns in Chile that have conducted substantial profiling of citizens. The findings show the company declares that they adhere to a strict privacy policy including the European data regulation, GDPR.
  • Third, the team used the Facebook Ad Library to investigate Facebook advertising by political groups and individuals. The information from the Ad Library is used to create a table of how much money each group spent on political advertising, which is shown in the report.
  • Finally, Datos Protegidos conducted interviews that yield more detail on the tools used in political campaigns, including the rejection of psychometric profiling, the use of MailChimp, and the lack of a centralised WhatsApp communications strategy.

Read the full update here

Overview of Datos Protegidos

Datos Protegidos is a non-profit organization whose mission is the promotion, defense, and strengthening of the rights to privacy and protection of personal data as fundamental rights. We favor public debate by discussing the dignity, equality, and freedom of people in relation to privacy. Its founders are Jessica Matus and Romina Garrido, both lawyers specializing in data protection, law, and technologies. The project starts in 2008 with a legal blog dedicated to the analysis of data protection in Chile, with the conviction of advancing in the awareness of this right and its consecration effectively. In 2015, they decided to found the organization, the first in Latin America dedicated exclusively to these topics.

Overview of work with Tactical Tech

  • Chile Country Study
  • Contextualised Personal Data: Political Persuasion. How it works.
  • Outreach of Personal Data: Political Persuasion. Inside the Influence industry including Guidebook and the Visual Gallery

Summary written by Dr. Amber Macintyre, Tactical Tech