A Voter's Guide: 7 Tips to Detox Your Data

2 minutes read | First published: October 22, 2020

The world of political campaigning has become increasingly complex – and increasingly driven by data. This data extends far beyond voting records: everything from the contents of your shopping basket, to the punctuation in your Facebook posts, to the pub you visit on a Friday night can be used by parties and politicians to profile you. With major elections coming up in the USA and The Netherlands, Tactical Tech's easy-to-use Voter’s Guide is now available in both English and Dutch, to help voters keep control over their data and protect their privacy.

The Voter’s Guide explains in accessible terms where political campaigns source personal data, what kinds of data they collect, and how they use it to target and persuade voters. The guide demystifies campaigning techniques like ‘digital listening’, ‘micro-targeting’ and ‘A/B testing’, and offers voters 7 essential tips to detox their personal data:

TIP #1: Switch Up Your Routines

TIP #2: Customise Your Social Media Preferences

TIP #3: Lock Down Your Mobile and Desktop Browsers

TIP #4: Stay Informed

TIP #5: Limit Who Knows Where You Are

TIP #6: Speak Up

TIP #7: Tell Your Community

With the help of these practical tips, voters in the USA, The Netherlands and elsewhere can cast their vote with the knowledge of how and when these digital techniques are being used, and what they can do to counteract them.

Go to the guide.