An important quote from this piece, that sadly, even most journalists won't "get"… (Thread) pllqt.it/AQ3kCM 
Most in the media have never worked on a political campaign, & if they have, they likely haven't worked with a data tool like @NGPVAN which I did on the 2008 OFA campaign… 2/
When you use a data tool from the DNC or RNC, the first time you see it, you may be shocked at how much data the major parties already have about, well, almost everyone in America… 3/
The tools are designed for many things, though inevitably, they're designed to maximize GOTV - Get Out The Vote - efforts. That requires knowing who is likely to vote, who isn't, & how individuals at every address voted in the past few elections… 4/
All of this data is (relatively) easy to get, and each party has been collecting & organizing it for years now, though there are some rules & laws on who they can & can't share it with - effectively keeping each side's data to themselves… 5/
What many in media and marketers know is that similar data is collected from each person in America via both retail and social media industries, effectively giving us three big data piles - which are NOT generally allowed to be directly cross referenced with each other… 6/
While this is a hyper-simplification, here's what I believe Mr. Mueller is looking for - and likely what was done, with help from Cambridge Analytica & the Russians… 7/
When the DNC & RNC were hacked (or, as I've contended, the RNC allowed certain outsiders access by "accidentally" leaving their systems open), the primary voter databases of both parties were taken by a third party, likely the Russians… 8/
Alone, those databases were limited, telling how individuals in any geographic area voted the last few elections, if they voted, what party they were registered to, their personal economic data, etc… 9/
However, *IF* those voter databases were cross referenced with the social media datapile, the combined data would tell users not only which potential voters were, in political terms, "persuadables," but also how best to push those individuals to change their minds… 10/
That's where Cambridge Analytica came in. Their primary focus had been the social media pile - finding people and targeting them, but for other purposes. Having the DNC & RNC voter databases would have made their kind of targeting incredibly precise… 11/
The keys to all of this informed speculation lie in a handful of people, some of whom were & are at the RNC - precisely who Mueller's team has been asking questions… 12/
Logistically, if one had the access to all the pieces - the DNC & RNC voter databases, Cambridge Analytica's social media algorithms, and enough money & processing power to make it happen (The Russians), it's really not that complicated of a plan… 13/
It is, however, totally illegal. It's treason, on a grand scale. And with so many people who would have had to be involved in the act, there will inevitably be some who are found and tell folks like Mueller… 14/
All of this informed speculation boils down to this: If more in the media had actually worked on a political campaign, & had seen & realized what data is being collected, & how it's being used, they wouldn't have been surprised by this latest turn of events… 15/
All of which goes back to the need for media to be more diverse, hire more diverse staff, with backgrounds doing the things & living in the areas they're hired to cover… 16/
Which means hiring journalists all over the world, paying them decently, & having dedicated beats. That means less parachuting in, more having talented journalists on retainer everywhere from the Midwest to the Middle East… 17/
I could go on, but it's late.
Long & short, Mueller *will* find those who know what happened, if he hasn't already. I've no doubt about that. End/
Long & short, Mueller *will* find those who know what happened, if he hasn't already. I've no doubt about that. End/
