Will Cambridge Analytica return from the dead?

Are Cambridge Analytica and its dad or mum SCL Elections as useless as they appear?

The companies issued a statement on Wednesday, saying they’d began chapter proceedings, blaming a “siege of media protection” associated to the Fb data-harvesting scandal for the choice.

The doc added that workers had been being laid off as a consequence.

However the position of two different London-registered operations has been questioned.

They’re Firecrest Applied sciences Ltd and its dad or mum, Emerdata Ltd.

Alexander Nix, the ex-chief of Cambridge Analytica, and Julian Wheatland had been listed as administrators of Emerdata but in addition as administrators of among the wider SCL Group of corporations.

Christopher Wylie – a former Cambridge Analytica employee who divulged particulars about its alleged efforts to swing elections – is amongst those that have instructed that the 2 corporations may choose up the place Cambridge Analytica left off.

“Bear in mind: Cambridge Analytica specialises in disinformation!” he tweeted on Wednesday night.

“We’d like to verify their shutdown is not only some rebranding or a method to cover from investigations.”

The BBC tried to contact Firecrest and Emerdata – each listing accountancy agency PKF Littlejohn’s Canary Wharf workplace as their registered deal with.

Nonetheless, the girl who answered the telephone at PKF Littlejohn mentioned that it was “not ready to make any remark” on the matter.

PKF Littlejohn’s workplace can be listed as SCL Group’s contact address.

A spokesman for Cambridge Analytica didn’t reply to a request to make clear if there’s a relationship between the businesses

Each Channel 4 News and the New York Times have reported that Nigel Oakes, a British director of the SCL Group, has mentioned that Emerdata was set as much as purchase and roll collectively Cambridge Analytica and SCL Group below a brand new title.

Billionaire household

Emerdata has no web site, however its itemizing on Firms Home says it’s engaged in “knowledge processing, internet hosting and associated actions”.

The firm’s records reveal the nine-month-old enterprise grew to become concerned in a flurry of exercise within the days surrounding the Observer newspaper’s expose of the Fb knowledge harvest, and Channel four screening a hidden digital camera video displaying Cambridge Analytica chief Alexander Nix discussing potential ways to discredit politicians.

This exercise included the appointment of Rebekah and Jennifer Mercer as administrators.

The 2 ladies are daughters of the hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer, who’s reported to have been one in all Cambridge Analytica’s main buyers.

And the contact deal with given for Rebekah Mercer is identical location as Cambridge Analytica’s New York operation.

Neither of the sisters had been administrators of Cambridge Analytica or different SCL Group companies earlier than.

As well as, Mr Nix – who had been one in all Emerdata’s administrators – had his submit terminated.

He was changed by Cambridge Analytica’s chief knowledge officer and performing chief govt, Dr Alexander Bruce Tayler.

A New-York primarily based investigative journalist has tracked different alleged hyperlinks between SCL and Emerdata.

Wendy Siegelman instructed the BBC that she was significantly intrigued by Emerdata’s appointment of the Chinese language businessman Johnson Chun Shun Ko as one in all its administrators in January.

Mr Ko had not beforehand been a director of both Cambridge Analytica or the SCL Group.

“He has a enterprise partnership with Erik Prince, who performs a key position in the Trump-Russia investigation,” she mentioned.

“And [President Trump’s former chief strategist] Steve Bannon has reportedly been a really shut affiliate of Mr Prince.”

Mr Bannon co-founded Cambridge Analytica and recently said he had coined its name.

“I’m wondering if Bannon continues to be working within the background despite the fact that he isn’t a director,” added Ms Siegelman.

Firecrest describes itself as a “enterprise and home software program” developer.

It was solely created on 7 March, whereas the Observer newspaper report was nonetheless being ready.

Considerably bizarrely, Alexander Nix was appointed after which stood down as its director the identical day

Dr Tayler has been in cost ever since.

Chapter legislation

Even when Emerdata and Firecrest are meant to hold out related work to Cambridge Analytica, UK insolvency legislation prevents them merely strolling away with its knowledge.

“All of the belongings at the moment are below the management of the administrator, so the administrators not have any powers to do something,” mentioned Nick Hood, a advisor to the insolvency specialist Opus Restructuring.

“In a high-profile case like this, the administrator would have a look at the mental property of the agency, contemplate how greatest to promote it and may properly discuss to the individuals who used to run Cambridge Analytica to see if they’re ready to pay an inexpensive market value for these belongings.

“However no insolvency practitioner would merely permit the belongings to be taken, as he could be for the excessive soar.”

Mr Hood added that any sale would go away a paper path stating who the brand new proprietor or homeowners had been.

“It is a very clear course of,” he mentioned.

The Data Commissioners Workplace has already made it clear that it intends to maintain monitor of what occurs subsequent, as a part of its investigation into the usage of private knowledge by political campaigns.

“The ICO will proceed its civil and felony investigations and can search to pursue people and administrators, as acceptable and obligatory even the place corporations might not be working,” it said in a statement.

“We may also monitor intently any successor corporations utilizing our powers to audit and examine, to make sure the general public is safeguarded.”

Cambridge Analytica has denied any wrongdoing and claims an “unbiased investigation”, carried out at its request, failed to seek out proof to assist the allegations made in opposition to it.

Nonetheless, others – together with Observer journalist Carole Cadwalladr – stay unconvinced.