Conservative Party bosses were working on plans to hand over the entire party database to a commercial venture that promised tens of millions of pounds in profits, the Guardian has revealed.
Leaked documents show Conservative Party leaders discussing building a mobile phone app that would exploit members' personal data to track users' locations and allow major brands to advertise to Tory supporters. The party will receive a portion of the sales.
The project was under consideration for several months last year with the aim of releasing the True Blue app in time for the October party conference.
The idea was developed by the president of a cryptocurrency company who had a series of business failures. But Conservative Party leaders appeared to be so fascinated by the plan that they were prepared to provide their database of party members to help push the proposal forward.
The True Blue project aims to “increase donations” through digital payments, design “tailor-made messaging” based on demographics, and direct party members to voting stations to “maximize” turnout. It was intended to provide direct access. Voter identification card.
But what worries some party supporters is the proposed commercialization of member data. The presentation document, which featured a picture of Rishi Sunak, outlined plans for brands such as Amazon and Coca-Cola to be promoted to party members. The presentation suggested that the app would allow companies to “geomarket” products based on a user's location, with the company receiving a cut of the resulting sales.
A Conservative Party spokesperson said the app “has not progressed beyond the marketing stage”. But emails seen by the Guardian reveal that officials were working on the project until last summer, tweaking the content of the proposed app and requesting paperwork, including a draft contract. Ta.
Cori Crider, a lawyer who runs Foxglove, a non-profit that advocates for fairness in the tech sector, said: “The Conservative Party is treating its brand and its members like abandoned assets subject to raids and raids.'' It's really sad to see that.” They were being robbed of their cash as if it were some kind of vulture fund. ”
“Super app”
The app's proposal comes from Norwegian businesswoman Kristen Ager Hansen, who said, “Big data is the new oil.” He became famous for his dot com bubble in the early 2000s, and then bust. Further business misfortunes followed, including the collapse of the Swedish newspaper Metro and the failed takeover of British media group Johnston Press.
According to a report, Arga Hansen had a “pleasant chat” with Rishi Sunak on June 29 last year. post It was the day of the summer party, one of the Conservative Party's large-scale fundraising events held once a year. On the same day, Agar-Hansen sent an email to Conservative Party chief executive Stephen Massey with the subject line: “Super app for the Conservative Party.”
The party sprang into action. Ager Hansen was invited to meet with the chief data officer, marketing director, and head of digital to discuss the idea.
Two weeks later, Amy Henderson, the Conservative Party's chief operating officer, emailed Ager-Hansen to say she had informed Massey that “this morning's meeting went well.”
She asked him to incorporate the Conservative Party's existing memberships, from the 'Disraeli Club' and 'Churchill Club' to the 'Thatcher Club', into the proposed app. On July 22, less than a month after he first approached the party, Ager-Hansen told Henderson: “We have just finalized the latest version of the app in accordance with your input.” he said.
The attached presentation provides an overview of the proposal, including an easy way for users to donate to the party. But he suggested the real money-maker would come from the commissions big brands pay parties for sales to True Blue users. Profits were to be split, with 25% going to Arga Hansen's company Adreax and the rest going to the Conservative Party.
The presentation suggested that Adreax already has partnerships with brands such as Amazon, Coca-Cola, and Apple. When contacted by the Guardian, none of these companies confirmed their relationship with Adreax or their involvement in the True Blue project.
Using figures labeled “for illustrative purposes only” in the presentation, it was claimed that the party's share of the income could reach an estimated £160 million a year. This seems like a very ambitious goal. His 1.25 million users needed are more than seven times his 172,000 party members. But even a fraction of this forecast would have increased the £47m in donations raised by the Conservatives last year.
The project also proposed providing voter ID cards to users of the app. Civil liberties campaigners say rules introduced in 2022 that will require voters to show government-issued identification such as a passport or driver's license at polling stations risk disenfranchising marginalized groups. Ta. Any changes that benefit Conservative members are likely to spark controversy again.
“Next iteration”
The day after receiving the presentation, Mr. Henderson responded, “The corrections and additions look great.” She said she would like to have a “start date for the conference” and present her plans to party officials, adding: “I think this will cause quite a bit of excitement!”
An unsigned draft contract seen by the Guardian says the Conservative Party will provide Adreas with access to a “database of prospective and existing members”.
Work on the project continued into the summer. On Aug. 22, Henderson sent an email to Ager Hansen, impersonating the person responsible for marketing, commercial projects, and voter communications. He said party officials “have been working on branding and membership since our last meeting” and are looking forward to “the next product coming soon.”
Henderson added that draft data sharing agreements and other documents are “very urgently needed” for board approval.
The Conservative Party did not say why the True Blue app was not launched. At the end of September, Arga Hansen was removed as chief executive of the cryptocurrency company and is believed to have said the Conservative Party would play a role in the app.
The Guardian has seen no evidence of further discussion of True Blue since that date. The Conservative Party declined to answer questions about Arga Hansen's performance.
Neither Ager Hansen nor Adreax responded to requests for comment.