Data Propria

Data Propria is a United States political-data and campaign-services company established in 2018. The company became publicly notable because its personnel and business relationships were closely associated with Cambridge Analytica, the political consulting firm that became the subject of international scrutiny over the harvesting and use of Facebook user data. Data Propria was managed by Matt Oczkowski, Cambridge Analytica's former head of product, and reportedly employed at least three other former Cambridge Analytica staff members, including former chief data scientist David Wilkinson. The company's early public profile was shaped less by a broad commercial product portfolio than by its reported work for political campaigns and party organizations. In May 2018, Data Propria was reported to be working with Bruce Rauner's campaign during his re-election effort for governor of Illinois. Around May and June of the same year, media reports linked the company to planning or electioneering activity for Donald Trump's prospective 2020 presidential re-election campaign. Public accounts of that relationship were inconsistent: Oczkowski and Brad Parscale, who was identified in reporting as a part-owner of the parent company, disputed the accuracy of some reports, even though they had also described Data Propria as working on the campaign in front of reporters. An anonymous source separately supported the reported connection. In June 2018, Oczkowski and Parscale confirmed that Data Propria had signed a contract with the Republican National Committee to assist with the party's 2018 U.S. midterm-election efforts. This placed the company within the ecosystem of political consultants, voter-data providers, campaign analytics firms, and digital-election strategists that supported Republican campaign operations during the period. Data Propria also attracted regulatory and congressional attention because of the provenance of the data it used or might have used. In June 2018, Representatives Michael F. Doyle, Frank Pallone, and Jan Schakowsky sent the company an open letter asking it to explain the origin of its datasets. In particular, they sought confirmation about whether the data included information improperly obtained from Facebook by Aleksandr Kogan or Cambridge Analytica. The inquiry reflected broader concerns arising from the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal, including questions about consent, data brokerage, political microtargeting, and the transfer of voter information between related or overlapping consulting operations. Publicly available reference material provides limited information about Data Propria's later activities, ownership structure, headquarters, website, financial performance, or present operating status. Its documented historical significance lies primarily in its formation after the Cambridge Analytica era, its recruitment of former Cambridge Analytica personnel, its reported or acknowledged campaign relationships in 2018, and the questions raised about the provenance of political datasets. No reliable information in the supplied references establishes that the company remains active, has formally dissolved, or has become part of a better-documented corporate group.

Data Propria was formed in 2018 during a period of intense public and political scrutiny of digital campaigning, voter profiling, and the use of personal information in elections. Its emergence was closely connected to Cambridge Analytica: the company was managed by Matt Oczkowski, who had previously served as Cambridge Analytica's head of product, and reportedly included at least three other former Cambridge Analytica employees. Among those associated with the company was David Wilkinson, described as Cambridge Analytica's former chief data scientist. The company's early activities centered on political campaigns and election-related data work. In May 2018, reports said that Data Propria was being used by Bruce Rauner's campaign in the Illinois gubernatorial re-election contest. Around the same period, reports also connected the company to planning or electioneering for Donald Trump's proposed 2020 presidential re-election effort. The public record contained conflicting descriptions of the latter relationship. Oczkowski and Brad Parscale denied that some reports accurately characterized the company's role, although both had reportedly described Data Propria as working on the campaign in statements made before reporters. An anonymous source separately confirmed the reported involvement. Data Propria's relationship with the Republican Party became more definite in June 2018, when Oczkowski and Parscale confirmed that the company had signed a contract with the Republican National Committee. The agreement concerned assistance for Republican efforts in the 2018 U.S. midterm elections. This work positioned Data Propria within a wider network of political consulting and campaign-technology organizations that supplied data analysis, targeting, and electioneering capabilities. The company's Cambridge Analytica links also made its data practices a subject of congressional inquiry. In June 2018, Representatives Michael F. Doyle, Frank Pallone, and Jan Schakowsky sent Data Propria an open letter asking the company to identify the provenance of its datasets. The lawmakers specifically asked whether Data Propria held or used information improperly acquired from Facebook by Aleksandr Kogan or Cambridge Analytica. The letter formed part of the broader response to the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal, in which lawmakers and the public questioned how social-media information had been collected, transferred, analyzed, and applied to political persuasion. The available reference material does not establish Data Propria's later ownership, product expansion, financial performance, headquarters, website, or current legal status. It also does not provide a definitive account of whether the company continued operating after its documented 2018 campaign engagements. Consequently, Data Propria is best documented as a 2018-founded political-data company whose historical identity was shaped by its personnel links to Cambridge Analytica, its reported and confirmed relationships with Republican campaign organizations, and congressional questions about the origin and legality of political datasets.

• 2018

  Data Propria is formed

  [1]Data Propriaen.wikipedia.org

  The political-data and campaign-services company is established, with former Cambridge Analytica personnel among its leadership and staff.

• 2018

  Reported involvement in the Illinois gubernatorial campaign

  [1]Data Propriaen.wikipedia.org

  Data Propria is reported to have supported Bruce Rauner's re-election campaign for governor of Illinois.

• 2018

  Reported connection to Trump's prospective 2020 campaign

  [1]Data Propriaen.wikipedia.org

  Media reports connect Data Propria with electioneering activity for Donald Trump's prospective 2020 re-election campaign, although company representatives disputed aspects of the reports.

• 2018

  Republican National Committee contract confirmed

  [1]Data Propriaen.wikipedia.org

  Company representatives confirm a contract with the Republican National Committee to assist with the 2018 U.S. midterm elections.

• 2018

  Congressional inquiry into data sources

  [1]Data Propriaen.wikipedia.org

  Three U.S. representatives ask Data Propria to explain the provenance of its datasets and whether they contained improperly acquired Facebook or Cambridge Analytica material.

A politically focused data and campaign-services company associated with former Cambridge Analytica personnel and election-related analytics.

• Political analytics · 2018

  Campaign data analysis

  Data Propria was described as a political-data and campaign-services company rather than a consumer product brand. Its documented work involved applying data and analytical capabilities to election campaigns and party operations. The available sources do not specify a proprietary software platform, named product suite, or detailed technical methodology.

• Campaign services · 2018

  Electioneering and voter targeting support

  The company was reported or acknowledged to provide election-related support for political campaigns and the Republican National Committee. The public record associates these services with campaign data, electioneering, and political targeting, but does not provide enough information to identify specific deliverables, platforms, or pricing.

• 2018

  Questions about the provenance of political datasets

  Representatives Michael F. Doyle, Frank Pallone, and Jan Schakowsky publicly asked Data Propria whether its datasets included information improperly acquired from Facebook by Aleksandr Kogan or Cambridge Analytica. The inquiry followed broader controversy over political data practices and the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal.

  Source

Read more

• 2018Bruce Rauner re-election campaign

  United States · Illinois

  Data Propria was reported to have been used by Bruce Rauner's campaign during his re-election bid for governor of Illinois.

  Source
• 2018Donald Trump 2020 campaign activity

  United States

  Reports linked Data Propria to electioneering for Donald Trump's prospective 2020 re-election campaign. Company representatives disputed portions of the reporting, while other accounts supported the connection.

  Source
• 2018Republican National Committee midterm-election work

  United States

  Data Propria confirmed a contract with the Republican National Committee to assist Republican campaign efforts in the 2018 U.S. midterm elections.

  Source

• 2018

  Build a political-data company around former Cambridge Analytica personnelStrategy

  Background

  Data Propria was formed amid heightened demand for campaign analytics and intense scrutiny of Cambridge Analytica's data practices.

  Action taken

  The company assembled leadership and staff with backgrounds at Cambridge Analytica and pursued election-related campaign and party work.

  Aftermath

  The staffing links increased Data Propria's visibility and contributed to congressional questions about the origin and legality of the data it used.

  Source

• 2018

  Contract with the Republican National CommitteeOther

  Background

  The Republican National Committee required campaign support for the 2018 U.S. midterm-election cycle.

  Action taken

  Data Propria entered into a contract with the Republican National Committee, according to confirmations by Matt Oczkowski and Brad Parscale.

  Aftermath

  The agreement provided the clearest documented confirmation of Data Propria's role in a major party's election operation during 2018.

  Source

1. 1Data Propriaen.wikipedia.org