THE organisers of the Brexit campaign like to cast themselves as visionaries who gamed the system to upset the odds.
But the founder of the BeLeave organisation has been ridiculed on Twitter for seemingly not understanding the basic principles of online advertising.
Darren Grimes, who successfully appealed a £20,000 fine imposed by the Electoral Commission for alleged spending breaches during the 2016 referendum, complained on Twitter after Mein Kampf was recommended to him on Google Play as one of the “other books you may enjoy”.
The Brexiteer had been searching for a book written by Theresa May’s former adviser, Nick Timothy. But when Adolf Hitler’s autobiographical manifesto came up in the suggestions, Grimes blasted “big tech” for its apparent anti-Tory bias.
I just interviewed Nick Timothy on his latest book, good interview. I checked Google for the cover art and...
— Darren Grimes (@darrengrimes_) June 24, 2020
...I am quickly losing faith and patience with big tech and their blatant anti-conservative biases. pic.twitter.com/HroXDp4MDZ
READ MORE: Fake Unionist account caught out after retweet from Murdo Fraser
Another screenshot showed Mein Kampf was listed as a “similar ebook” to Timothy’s Remaking One Nation: The Future of Conservatism.
Yes. pic.twitter.com/rWkSQmgI4m
— Darren Grimes (@darrengrimes_) June 24, 2020
Twitter users were nevertheless eager to point out that suggestions are partly based on a user’s own search history and purchases...
Bro. This is based on your data.
— Dr Benjamin Janaway (@drjanaway) June 24, 2020
Yes Darren, time to shatter the myth that targeted adverts are based on things like "your own search history" and "the online data of other people who've read that book." Yet another conspiracy by leftists who control the internet.
— Kieran Hurley (@kieran_hurley) June 24, 2020
Mark Zuckerberg and his Silicon Valley chums can rest easy. It seems that, despite Grimes’ best efforts, they won’t be getting the blame for this one.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel