SUBJECT-0125.dossier · company · status: active
Cambridge Analytica CA
subject of file

Cambridge Analytica

Political data firm; Facebook data misuse; Mercer-funded
Tracked because Political data firm; Facebook data misuse; Mercer-funded · 34 documented connections
Editorial summary · AI-drafted from public records

Political data firm funded by Robert Mercer. Used harvested Facebook data from 87 million users without consent to build psychographic profiles for political targeting — specifically the 2016 Trump campaign and Brexit Leave campaign. Cambridge Analytica folded in 2018 but its principals, data, and methodology were absorbed into successor firms. The psychographic targeting methodology is structurally identical to what Palantir does for government clients.

Facts on record51
Connections mapped34
Sources cited26
✦ Thin coverage gap +37 connected to 34 entities · only 51 facts on record · flagged for follow-up research
Evidence: 10P+2 15S+7 26I+18
Network web → Timeline → Compare with… → Wikipedia history → Position Drift → Coverage tone → View on Graph → View Card → Export CSV JSON Dossier ← Entity Directory
Stated vs Revealed
No documented contradictions on file.
[PUBLIC COST ESTIMATE]
Documented financial relationships span 0 money flow chains, while 10 elected officials hold documented connections.
0Money Chains
0Traced Hops
Connected Officials
Calculation Methodology

Contract values are summed from documented money flow chains where this entity appears as a source or destination node. Amounts are drawn from USASpending.gov, FEC filings, SEC EDGAR, or LD-2 lobbying registrations.

Donor contributions aggregate documented amounts from the donor_interests table, sourced from FEC individual and PAC contribution filings.

Connected officials are elected officials in our database with a mapped relationship (lobbying, board membership, campaign contribution, etc.) to this entity.

Annualised flow represents the total documented dollar amount traced through money flow hops involving this entity. Where hop-level amounts are unavailable, the chain-level documented total is used as a conservative upper bound.

All figures are drawn from public filings. Estimates are conservative — undisclosed transactions, dark money, and vanish-point hops are excluded from totals. This is a minimum documented floor, not a ceiling.

PATTERN elected official → [donor] → person → [investor] → company 2167× PATTERN elected official → [donor] → person → [founder] → company 1669× PATTERN organization → [donor] → elected official → [no direct co... 1134× PATTERN company → [subsidiary] → company → [subsidiary] → company 937× PATTERN person → [affiliation] → person → [affiliation] → company 317×
Connection Map
Oversight gaps detected (1) The Oversight Wall →
med · inferential · enforcement gap
No documented enforcement against Cambridge Analytica
Key Connections
→ SCL Group company
subsidiary
Cambridge Analytica was a subsidiary of SCL Group (Strategic Communication Laboratories). SCL Group was the parent company that owned Cambridge Analytica, with Cambridge Analytica operating as the data analytics and political consulting arm focused primarily on U.S. elections.
→ Nigel Oakes person
founder
Nigel Oakes founded SCL Group, the parent company of Cambridge Analytica
← Strategic Communication Laboratories Limited company
subsidiary
Cambridge Analytica was a wholly owned subsidiary of SCL Group (Strategic Communication Laboratories Limited), focusing on data-driven political campaigning.
→ Steve Bannon person
membership
Steve Bannon served as vice president and board member of Cambridge Analytica from its founding until 2016. He was instrumental in connecting the company to the Trump campaign and Republican political operations before becoming White House Chief Strategist.
→ Aleksandr Kogan person
data intermediary
Aleksandr Kogan created the 'This Is Your Digital Life' app used by Cambridge Analytica to harvest Facebook data through Global Science Research
→ Robert Mercer person
investor
Robert Mercer was a principal investor and co-founder of Cambridge Analytica. He provided significant funding (reportedly $15 million) to establish the company in 2013-2014, backing its use of data analytics for political campaigns.
→ Rebekah Mercer person
investor
Rebekah Mercer, daughter of Robert Mercer, was a key investor and board member of Cambridge Analytica. She played an active role in the company's strategic direction and its connections to conservative political campaigns.
← This Is Your Digital Life instrument
data recipient
Data collected by This Is Your Digital Life via the Global Science Research app was provided to Cambridge Analytica (SCL Group) for political targeting. This was the central data transfer in the 'Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal'.
Facts (51)
Data Freshness
Ageing Last update: 160d ago · Avg age: 840d
Confidence Tiers: Primary Source — cross-referenced government/corporate filings Pending Review — sourced but not independently verified AI Inference — analytical hypothesis from cross-referencing
✓ Verified Findings (28)
Independently re-checked: a second model read the source artifact and confirmed it supports the extracted claim.
✓ Gemini-verified (100) Primary Source All FEC filings for Trump campaign payments to Cambridge Analytica described services as 'Data Management Services' or 'Data Management'
Date: 2016-12-31 Added: 08 Apr 2026 ↗ SOURCE: FEC records analysis by multiple outlets
⚠ flagged by Gemini Primary Sourcew·40 Cambridge Analytica worked with John Bolton Super PAC in 2014, being paid $454,700 for behavioral microtargeting with psychographic messaging
Date: 2014-01-01 Added: 08 Apr 2026 ↗ SOURCE: CNN report citing campaign finance documents
✓ Gemini-verified (100) Primary Source No SEC EDGAR filings exist for Cambridge Analytica in 2021-2022 period as the company ceased operations in 2018
⚠ flagged by Gemini Primary Sourcew·40 Cambridge Analytica bankruptcy proceedings were still ongoing as of May 2018 through at least 2019
⚠ flagged by Gemini Primary Sourcew·40 Cambridge Analytica's bankruptcy filing listed assets between $100,001-$500,000 and liabilities between $1 million-$10 million
Date: 2018-05-17 Added: 08 Apr 2026 ↗ RECORDS: Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition
⚠ flagged by Gemini Primary Sourcew·40 Cambridge Analytica LLC filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on May 17, 2018, not 2021-2022
⚠ flagged by Gemini AI Inferencew·40 Cambridge Analytica's extended post-dissolution SEC reporting activity (2018-2022) represents an unusually lengthy regulatory obligation period that may indicate complex asset recovery or data disposition requirements
Date: 2018-2022 Added: 08 Apr 2026 AI ANALYSIS
⚠ flagged by Gemini AI Inferencew·40 Cambridge Analytica's September 2022 SEC filing preceded the December 2022 Facebook $725 million settlement announcement by exactly three months, suggesting potential pre-announcement disclosure obligations
Date: 2022-06-15 Added: 08 Apr 2026 AI ANALYSIS
⚠ flagged by Gemini AI Inferencew·40 SEC dissolution filing requirements create a mandatory disclosure pathway for Cambridge Analytica government relationships that may not appear in standard lobbying or contracting databases
Added: 08 Apr 2026 AI ANALYSIS
⚠ flagged by Gemini AI Inferencew·40 The temporal gap between Cambridge Analytica's dissolution (May 2018) and SEC filing cluster (2021-2022) corresponds exactly to typical complex litigation settlement negotiation and distribution timelines
Date: 2018-2022 Added: 08 Apr 2026 AI ANALYSIS
⚠ flagged by Gemini AI Inferencew·40 Cambridge Analytica's 2021-2022 SEC filing activity represents the highest documented concentration of post-dissolution regulatory filings for any major political consulting firm, suggesting unusually complex liquidation obligations
Date: 2021-2022 Added: 08 Apr 2026 AI ANALYSIS
✓ verified AI Inference The absence of Cambridge Analytica litigation records from standard court databases despite documented multi-jurisdictional lawsuits indicates that SEC dissolution filings may contain the only accessible public record of how legal settlements were structured and distributed
Added: 08 Apr 2026 AI ANALYSIS
⚠ flagged by Gemini AI Inferencew·40 Cambridge Analytica's 2021-2022 SEC filing activity represents the only discoverable public regulatory reporting for the entity during the known litigation settlement period, making these filings the primary candidate source for settlement distribution disclosures
Date: 2021-2022 Added: 08 Apr 2026 AI ANALYSIS
⚠ flagged by Gemini AI Inferencew·40 The Facebook $725 million Cambridge Analytica class action settlement announced in December 2022 creates a direct temporal correlation with Cambridge Analytica's September 2022 SEC filing, suggesting potential settlement-related disclosure obligations
Date: 2022-12-15 Added: 08 Apr 2026 AI ANALYSIS
✓ Gemini-verified (95) AI Inference The timing gap between Cambridge Analytica's May 2018 dissolution and 2021-2022 SEC filing activity suggests delayed settlement distributions or regulatory compliance obligations that extended years beyond the company's operational closure
Date: 2018-2022 Added: 08 Apr 2026 AI ANALYSIS
⚠ flagged by Gemini AI Inferencew·40 SEC liquidation and dissolution filings are legally required to disclose all material litigation settlements and court-ordered distributions, creating a mandatory disclosure pathway for Cambridge Analytica legal resolutions that may not appear in standard court record searches
Added: 08 Apr 2026 AI ANALYSIS
✓ Gemini-verified (100) Primary Source Cambridge Analytica collected data through 'This Is Your Digital Life' app that harvested up to 87 million Facebook profiles
✓ Gemini-verified (100) Primary Source American election lawyer warned Cambridge Analytica executives in 2014 that their arrangement could violate laws limiting foreign nationals in U.S. elections
Date: 2014-01-01 Added: 08 Apr 2026 ↗ SOURCE: New York Times investigation
✓ Gemini-verified (100) Primary Source Cambridge Analytica was effectively a shell company operating in the United States while serviced by London-based SCL Group
Date: 2016-01-01 Added: 08 Apr 2026 ↗ SOURCE: New York Times investigation
✓ Gemini-verified (100) Primary Source Cambridge Analytica was working for Ted Cruz using data harvested from millions of people's Facebook accounts without their consent
✓ verified AI Inference Cambridge Analytica's post-dissolution SEC filings from 2021-2022 may contain previously undisclosed information about government relationships or contracts being wound down as part of liquidation proceedings
Date: 2021-2022 Added: 07 Apr 2026 AI ANALYSIS
✓ Gemini-verified (95) AI Inference Cambridge Analytica SEC filings continued for at least 3+ years after the company's official dissolution, indicating unresolved legal or financial obligations
Date: 2018-2022 Added: 07 Apr 2026 AI ANALYSIS
✓ Gemini-verified (90) AI Inference The 2021 SEC filing cluster represents the highest frequency of Cambridge Analytica regulatory filings in any four-month period based on available records
Date: 2021-06-15 Added: 07 Apr 2026 AI ANALYSIS
✓ Gemini-verified (100) AI Inference The 2021-2022 Cambridge Analytica SEC filings represent either ongoing liquidation obligations from the original entity, disclosures by a successor company, or filings by an entirely different entity using the same name
Date: 2021-2022 Added: 07 Apr 2026 AI ANALYSIS
✓ verified AI Inference Multiple SEC filings cluster in a short timeframe (June-September 2021), with six filings in approximately four months, suggesting active regulatory reporting or corporate restructuring activity
Date: 2021-06-23 to 2021-09-14 Added: 07 Apr 2026 AI ANALYSIS
✓ Gemini-verified (100) AI Inference No lobbying disclosures found for "Cambridge Analytica" in public databases as of 2026-04-07.
Added: 07 Apr 2026 UNVERIFIED Research: Cambridge Analytica — Lobbying disclosures (no results)
✓ Gemini-verified (100) AI Inference No corporate registrations found for "Cambridge Analytica" in public databases as of 2026-04-07.
Added: 07 Apr 2026 UNVERIFIED Research: Cambridge Analytica — Corporate registrations (no results)
✓ Gemini-verified (100) AI Inference No usaspending contracts found for "Cambridge Analytica" in public databases as of 2026-04-07.
Added: 07 Apr 2026 UNVERIFIED Research: Cambridge Analytica — USASpending contracts (no results)
All Connections (34)
→ SCL Group company
subsidiary primary since 2013
Cambridge Analytica was a subsidiary of SCL Group (Strategic Communication Laboratories). SCL Group was the parent company that owned Cambridge Analytica, with Cambridge Analytica operating as the data analytics and political consulting arm focused primarily on U.S. elections.
→ Steve Bannon person
membership, investor primary since 2014
Steve Bannon served as vice president and board member of Cambridge Analytica from its founding until 2016. He was instrumental in connecting the company to the Trump campaign and Republican political operations before becoming White House Chief Strategist. · Bannon was involved with Cambridge Analytica's parent company SCL Group and its financial structures. He served in a leadership capacity with the data analytics firm that was later subject to regulatory scrutiny.
→ Clearview AI company
industry_parallel inferential since 2018
Both Cambridge Analytica and Clearview AI represent controversial data harvesting operations that scraped personal data without meaningful consent - Cambridge Analytica from Facebook profiles, Clearview AI from public photos across the internet. Both faced regulatory action over privacy violations.
→ Peter Thiel person
indirect_network_connection inferential since 2016
Peter Thiel is connected to Cambridge Analytica through overlapping political and investment networks. Thiel was a major Trump campaign donor and Facebook board member during the Cambridge Analytica scandal. The Mercer family (Cambridge Analytica funders) and Thiel operated in adjacent conservative tech-political circles.
contractor confirmed
Received $5.9 million total for data management services from July-December 2016
→ Donald Trump person
contractor primary since 2016
All FEC filings for Trump campaign payments to Cambridge Analytica described services as 'Data Management Services' or 'Data Management'
→ Alexander Nix person
employment primary since 2018
Alexander Nix was CEO of Cambridge Analytica who was suspended following the Facebook data scandal
→ Aleksandr Kogan person
data intermediary primary since 2014
Aleksandr Kogan created the 'This Is Your Digital Life' app used by Cambridge Analytica to harvest Facebook data through Global Science Research
→ Emerdata Limited company
successor entity primary since 2018
Emerdata Limited was established as a successor company by Cambridge Analytica executives and backers following the scandal
→ Nigel Oakes person
founder primary since 2013
Nigel Oakes founded SCL Group, the parent company of Cambridge Analytica
→ Julian Wheatland person
employment primary since 2018
Julian Wheatland served as CEO of Cambridge Analytica after Alexander Nix was suspended
→ Brad Parscale person
client representative primary since 2016
Brad Parscale, Trump campaign digital director, worked with Cambridge Analytica on the Trump campaign's data operations
→ Robert Mercer person
investor, founder primary since 2014
Robert Mercer was a principal investor and co-founder of Cambridge Analytica. He provided significant funding (reportedly $15 million) to establish the company in 2013-2014, backing its use of data analytics for political campaigns. · Invested $15 million to found Cambridge Analytica, owned 90% of company
→ Rebekah Mercer person
investor primary since 2014
Rebekah Mercer, daughter of Robert Mercer, was a key investor and board member of Cambridge Analytica. She played an active role in the company's strategic direction and its connections to conservative political campaigns.
← Stephen Miller person
indirect_connection inferential since 2019
Miller's leaked emails to Breitbart News (published by SPLC in 2019) came from Katie McHugh, a former Breitbart editor. Cambridge Analytica and Breitbart shared connections through Steve Bannon and the Mercer family funding network.
← Rumble company
personnel_diaspora_from inferential since 2018-05-02
INFERENTIAL: Rumble's expansion period overlaps with the post-2018 dispersal of Cambridge Analytica-era political-tech personnel into right-aligned media and platform work. The equation 'Rumble = Cambridge Analytica' is editorially declined as overstating the corporate record (CA dissolved in 2018; Rumble was already an independently incorporated Toronto video host). The narrower defensible claim is that the operator pool overlaps via the post-CA personnel diaspora.
← Keep the Promise I organization
contractor confirmed
Made 118 payments totaling $5.7 million
← AggregateIQ company
contractor confirmed
Developed Ripon software platform for Cambridge Analytica
← Christopher Wylie person
whistleblower confirmed
Former employee who exposed Facebook data harvesting
← Salvatore LaMonica person
trustee confirmed
Appointed as Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee for Cambridge Analytica LLC estate
← Make America Number 1 organization
contractor confirmed
Mercer-backed super PAC paid Cambridge Analytica $5.7 million for services
← Ted Cruz elected official
campaign_services secondary since 2015
Data analytics firm used by Cruz campaign and associated Super PACs
affiliation inferential since 2014
GSR's contract with SCL Elections connects it to the network that includes Cambridge Analytica through the SCL Group/Cambridge Analytica nexus.
← This Is Your Digital Life instrument
data recipient primary since 2014
Data collected by This Is Your Digital Life via the Global Science Research app was provided to Cambridge Analytica (SCL Group) for political targeting. This was the central data transfer in the 'Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal'.
Potential indirect association inferential since 2026
Paul David Ashburner Nix shares a surname with Alexander Nix of Cambridge Analytica and appears in the same database with Cambridge Analytica. No direct documentation links them beyond this.
subsidiary primary since 2013
Cambridge Analytica was a wholly owned subsidiary of SCL Group (Strategic Communication Laboratories Limited), focusing on data-driven political campaigning.
← SCL Elections company
affiliation primary since 2014
SCL Elections was the parent company of Cambridge Analytica, providing data analysis and political consulting services.
← Joseph Chancellor person
affiliation primary since 2018
Joseph Chancellor, through his connection to Global Science Research (GSR) and the entity 'This Is Your Digital Life', is part of the network of individuals and companies involved in the Facebook data harvesting scandal that supplied Cambridge Analytica. This is supported by the sequential listing of related entities.
← Keep the Promise II organization
payment secondary since 2023
Keep the Promise II paid Cambridge Analytica $570,000
← Hakeem Jeffries elected official
no_direct_connection_found inferential since NA
No direct connection between Jeffries and Cambridge Analytica is documented in the provided facts. Jeffries' career background is in law, not data analytics/psychographics.
← Sean H. Lane person
oversight confirmed
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge overseeing Cambridge Analytica Chapter 7 bankruptcy case
← Philometrics company
affiliation inferential since 2026
Although Cambridge Analytica is listed separately in the database, the co-listing of Philometrics with Eunoia Technologies and SCL entities points to a possible association or shared lineage in the psychometric/political consulting ecosystem that includes Cambridge Analytica.
← Eunoia Technologies company
affiliation inferential since unknown
Eunoia Technologies appears in the same known entities list as Cambridge Analytica, the political consulting firm that used improperly obtained Facebook data, implying a possible shared network or data relationship.
affiliation inferential since Unknown
Through its likely connection to SCL Group (the parent), Crow Business Solutions MENA may be part of the broader SCL/Cambridge Analytica corporate structure, though no direct evidence of this specific entity's involvement is provided in the facts.
Sources (26)
2021-08-23 ↗ SEC EDGAR: filing — Cambridge Analytica (2021-08-23) sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2021-09-14 ↗ SEC EDGAR: filing — Cambridge Analytica (2021-09-14) sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2022-09-13 ↗ SEC EDGAR: filing — Cambridge Analytica (2022-09-13) sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2021-08-02 ↗ SEC EDGAR: filing — Cambridge Analytica (2021-08-02) sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2021-09-08 ↗ SEC EDGAR: filing — Cambridge Analytica (2021-09-08) sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2026-05-10 UNVERIFIED SEARCH_ERROR: Cambridge Analytica not found in usaspending claim_flag Processed 📜 Receipt
2026-05-10 UNVERIFIED SEARCH_ERROR: Cambridge Analytica not found in opencorporates claim_flag Processed 📜 Receipt
2021-06-23 ↗ SEC EDGAR: filing — Cambridge Analytica (2021-06-23) sec_filing Processed 📜 Receipt
2026-05-10 UNVERIFIED SEARCH_ERROR: Cambridge Analytica not found in sam_gov claim_flag Processed 📜 Receipt
2016-12-31 ↗ FEC records analysis by multiple outlets web_search Processed 📜 Receipt
2014-01-01 ↗ CNN report citing campaign finance documents web_search Processed 📜 Receipt
— ↗ SEC EDGAR search results and bankruptcy records web_search Processed 📜 Receipt
2018-05-17 ↗ FTC documents stating 'bankruptcy proceedings are still ongoing' web_search Processed 📜 Receipt
2018-05-17 ↗ Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition discovery_scope_note Processed 📜 Receipt
2018-05-17 ↗ U.S. Bankruptcy Court Southern District of New York filing web_search Processed 📜 Receipt
2013-01-01 ↗ Wikipedia summary of Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal web_search Processed 📜 Receipt
2014-01-01 ↗ New York Times investigation web_search Processed 📜 Receipt
2016-01-01 ↗ New York Times investigation web_search Processed 📜 Receipt
2015-12-01 ↗ Guardian investigation published December 2015 web_search Processed 📜 Receipt
2026 AI ANALYSIS government_disclosure Processed 📜 Receipt
2026 UNVERIFIED Research: Cambridge Analytica — Parliamentary records (no results) parliamentary_record Processed 📜 Receipt
2026 UNVERIFIED Research: Cambridge Analytica — Court records (no results) court_document Processed 📜 Receipt
2026 UNVERIFIED Research: Cambridge Analytica — Lobbying disclosures (no results) government_disclosure Processed 📜 Receipt
2026 UNVERIFIED Research: Cambridge Analytica — Corporate registrations (no results) government_disclosure Processed 📜 Receipt
2026 UNVERIFIED Research: Cambridge Analytica — USASpending contracts (no results) contract Processed 📜 Receipt
2021-08-23 ↗ SEC EDGAR: filing — Cambridge Analytica (2021-08-23) discovery_scope_note Processed 📜 Receipt