The Rise of Targeted Voter Databases

A new voter database developed by L2 Data has raised significant concerns due to its ability to assess individuals' political beliefs and potential support for extreme ideologies, including conspiracy theories like QAnon and the January 6th insurrection. This database compiles various data points, including previous voting behavior and consumer habits, to extrapolate the likelihood of a voter endorsing radical views. For instance, individuals who bought hunting products or engaged with specific political content were categorized based on their assumed political leanings. Such profiling suggests a shift towards using more complex and invasive methods of understanding voter sentiment, which could have serious implications for both democratic engagement and privacy.