https://tech.newstatesman.com/policy/less-bark-more-bite-dissecting-public-opinion-on-the-regulation-of-online-political-ads

This general election has described by some commentators as ‘the most digital election, ever’. It’s certainly one of the weirdest. So far this election the public has had to deal with BorisWave, dead squirrels, fake fact checkers and astroturf groups pretending to be Greta Thunberg. Open Rights Group (ORG) has seen the unprecedented (we think) use of personal data by the main political parties, in their quest to maximise vote share and minimise spending inefficiency. It is not a question of who is better or worse; on this issue they are all drinking the kool aid. 

Some have described the rapid adoption of new campaigning techniques as an arms race. To me, it is more like watching a conga line; eventually, all political parties copy the one that appears to be ahead of the curve, moving through methodologies faster and faster, without stopping to look where they are going. The political parties are drunk on data. Eventually, someone will seriously misstep, and trust in our elections will come crashing down. A lot of it, by the way, might amount to unlawful activity – particularly where personal data is concerned (PDF).