I360

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i360 is a data analytics company that maintains "a database of over 250 million 18+ adults, including the 190 million who are registered to vote" sourced from "multiple consumer data compilers."[1] It was dubbed the "Koch's data mine" by Politico.[2] The for-profit company was founded by Michael Palmer, former chief technology officer of John McCain's 2008 Presidential campaign. Following the 2008 election, it was merged with the Koch-funded nonprofit Themis, a right-wing voter database project.[2] The Koch's Freedom Partners is a major investor in i360, according to Politico.[2]

Many observers think the project has already eclipsed the voter lists maintained by the Republican National Committee, posing a risk for some candidates and to the party's influence.

Koch Wiki

Charles Koch is the right-wing billionaire owner of Koch Industries. As one of the richest people in the world, he is a key funder of the right-wing infrastructure, including the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and the State Policy Network (SPN). In SourceWatch, key articles on Charles Koch and his late brother David include: Koch Brothers, Americans for Prosperity, Stand Together Chamber of Commerce, Stand Together, Koch Family Foundations, Koch Universities, and I360.

Voter Files in 2018

i360 president, Michael Palmer, said in the wake of the 2014 midterm that "Right now, we’re talking about and building things that you won’t see in 2016, because it’s not going to be ready until 2018." As of November 2018, i360 identifies “more than 199 million active voters and 290 million U.S. consumers,” according to a report by investigative reporter Calvin Sloan, each of those persons has a file of 1,800 unique data points.[3]

i360 — the Kochs by association — have data on a significant majority of American's "vitals" namely, ethnicity, religion, occupation, hobbies, shopping habits, political leanings, financial assets, marital status, "and much more."[3]

"They know if you enjoy fishing — and if you do, whether you prefer salt or fresh water. They know if you have bladder control difficulty, get migraines, or have osteoporosis. They know which advertising mediums (radio, TV, internet, email) are the most effective," Sloan writes in a piece for Exposed for CMD.[3]

2016 Election Activity

In July of 2015, Politico reported that 2016 Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump attempted to purchase " state-of-the-art data and analytics services" from i360 but was denied.[4] When Politico inquired into why Trump's campaign was refused access to i360's services, a spokesman for the company would not comment.[4]

As of November 2015, 2016 Republican Presidential hopeful Ben Carson is the only candidate to have been given access to i360 services, as evidenced by his campaign's FEC filings where he listed payments of $11,000 a month to Demeter Analytic Services. [5] According to a Center for Media and Democracy report, Demeter Analytic Services looks to be the funding arm of the Koch's data analysis operation.[5] Demeter Analytic Services appears to operate from the same address and same suite as the entities associated with the Koch data operation (the nonprofit Themis Trust and its for-profit arm i360), according to the address on FEC filings describing payments to Demeter.

2014 Election Activity

During the 2014 midterm elections, Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Joni Ernst of Iowa, and Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland were clients of i360.[2]

Also, during the same election cycle, i360 helped Senator Cory Garnder (R-CO) unseat incumbent Mark Udall (D-CO).[2] Working with Americans for Prosperity, i360 isolated "297,000 voters who were not likely to vote in 2014, but were likely to oppose the policies of Democratic Sen. Mark Udall."[2] These voters were then broken up into six "treatment groups" and targeted by Americans for Prosperity operatives utilizing different campaign methods.[2]

Staff[6]

  • Michael Palmer, President
  • Chuck DeFeo, Vice President, Products
  • Christopher F. Cardiff, Chief Operating Officer
  • Robert Van Niman, Chief Financial Officer
  • Kathryn Ciano, General Counsel
  • Sheetal Kadia, Director Of Data Operations

Contact Information

i360
2300 Clarendon Blvd, Suite #800
Arlington, VA 22201

Phone: 571-312-2320
Email: info@i-360.com
Website: http://www.i-360.com

Related ExposedbyCMD Articles

References

  1. i360, i360 Homepage, i360, 2015.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Mike Allen and Kenneth P. Vogel, Inside the Koch data mine, Politico, December 8, 2014.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Calvin Sloan Koch Brothers Are Watching You: And New Documents Reveal Just How Much They Know Exposed by CMD, Nov. 5, 2015
  4. 4.0 4.1 Kenneth P. Vogel and Cate Martel, The Kochs freeze out Trump, Politico, July 29, 2015.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Brendan Fischer and Mary Bottari, Kochs' Freedom Partners Spent $129M in 2014, Invested Massively in Voter Data Lists, PR Watch, November 18, 2015.
  6. LinkedIn, i360 People, LinkedIn, 2015.