Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower Eyes Blockchain to Solve Data-Privacy Crisis

Ex-Cambridge Analytica executive Brittany Kaiser discusses issues of global data protection crisis in an interview with Cointelegraph.

Blockchain technology is an important tool in addressing the data protection crisis, Cambridge Analytica whistleblower Brittany Kaiser believes.

Kaiser, a former business development director at controversial British data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica, has discussed global data privacy issues in an interview with Cointelegraph on Jan. 23.

Currently serving as co-founder at digital intelligence startup Own Your Data Foundation, Kaiser first came into the spotlight during the Cambridge Analytica scandal, which revealed that the firm had collected raw data from up to 87 million Facebook profiles for the Trump campaign.

Speaking with Cointelegraph’s head of news Dylan Love at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Kaiser expressed confidence that emerging technologies like blockchain will help people protect their personal data, which is, per Kaiser, the most valuable asset in the world.

Kaiser said that she is excited to see some blockchain-powered social media solutions, while opposing social media giant Facebook as well as its messenger WhatsApp. 

“In my opinion, it’s really blockchain tech and blockchain entrepreneurs that are gonna solve a lot of the problems of the data protection crisis.”

Additionally, Kaiser said that Germany and Switzerland are currently the two best countries in terms of data protection, while her native country, the United States, has had “nearly zero data legislation or regulation.” However, the U.S. has been actively working on some data privacy initiatives, with California enacting its own state-level California Consumer Privacy Act on Jan. 1, Kaiser noted.

Watch the full interview and learn Kaiser’s four tips for data protection here and subscribe to our YouTube channel!