Pro-Europe campaigner Gina Miller is implementing Facebook's advertising in targeting voters in both Labour and Conservative seats. Her campaign group, Best for Britain, is doing this through sending out different messages to different voters in different seats. This is part of what is considered to be a 'digital ground war' that is being fought by both of the main parties on social media. Information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, on Wednesday 17th launched an inquiry into the practice warning what if parties sent politically-charged information to people based on their individual data it could possibly be against the law. This isn't necessarily in suggestion that Miller's campaign is doing this, but her campaign does involve different ads being sent to different groups. For example in Darlington where Jenny Chapman is standing to retain her seat, a 50-year-old voter received an ad saying: 'Jeremy Corbyn is not going to be prime minister, so you can vote for your Labour candidate.' In Southampton Itchen, a Brexit-supporter got the message: 'Theresa May is going to win anyway, but it's important to limit her majority.' With just these two examples it's evident how the ads are tapping into the sentiments people have and utilising them from a political standpoint. Denham also followed up saying: 'If political campaigns or third-party companies are able to gather up very precise digital trails to then individually target people, that is an area [where] they are going to be outside the law.' However a spokesman for Best for Britain has responded in saying: 'We are fully aware of, and compliant with, the ICO’s concerns. We do not take anything for granted and want to ensure donors’ generosity is rewarded with the most efficient and effective activities we can undertake. We do not hold any personal information on individuals, unless they have specifically signed up as supporters of the Best for Britain campaign.'
The digital ground war has already seen the Conservatives and Labour spending an estimated £140,000 a week on targeting voters directly through their Facebook feeds
Labour and the Conservatives are expected to spend up to £1m each on advertising on social media in the general election
Gina Miller's usage of new and digital media to target advertising is a foresight into what we're more likely than not going to be seeing in terms of political campaigning in the future. People/institutions will implement social media which acts as fundamentally more effective advertising in order to mobilise votes for things like elections and referendums.
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