Within Trinidad and Tobago
How the Do So Campaign Hid Its Politics
Consultants allegedly disguised voter suppression as a youth movement, while later claims about its electoral impact remain difficult to verify.
On this page
- The youth movement presented to voters
- Astroturfing and concealed sponsorship
- What is known about its electoral effect
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Introduction
The “Do So” campaign is one of the most controversial political influence stories associated with Trinidad and Tobago. Unlike a traditional hoax built around a fake monster, forged artefact or invented legend, the controversy centres on alleged hidden persuasion: a political operation that was presented as an independent youth movement while allegedly serving an electoral objective behind the scenes. Years after the 2010 general election, the campaign became internationally famous through revelations about the political consulting firms SCL Elections and Cambridge Analytica, whose former executives described it as an experiment in voter suppression aimed at young Afro-Trinidadian voters.[OCCRP]That a concealed political campaign existed.Open source on occrp.org.
What makes the story notable is not simply the claim that political consultants tried to influence voters. Political campaigns do that openly. The dispute concerns whether a supposedly grassroots cultural movement was actually designed and funded to conceal its political purpose. It therefore sits at the boundary between political marketing, propaganda, astroturfing and deception. At the same time, one of the most important questions remains unresolved: how much effect, if any, the campaign actually had on the election result.[occrp.org]That a concealed political campaign existed.Open source on occrp.org.
The Youth Movement Presented to Voters
During Trinidad and Tobago’s 2010 election campaign, “Do So” was presented as a rebellious youth movement that encouraged political disengagement. The slogan promoted the idea that young people could express dissatisfaction with politics by refusing to participate in voting. According to later accounts from former SCL and Cambridge Analytica personnel, the campaign was designed to appear authentic and youth-driven rather than connected to a political party.[Wikipedia]WikipediaCambridge AnalyticaCambridge Analytica
Reports describe a campaign spread through music, graffiti, branding, social media activity and youth-oriented messaging. The public face of the movement emphasised frustration with the political establishment. Rather than openly arguing for one party over another, it encouraged the idea that voting itself was pointless or ineffective.[Wikipedia]WikipediaCambridge AnalyticaCambridge Analytica
The alleged strategy relied on a particular feature of Trinidad and Tobago’s political landscape. Voting patterns have often been discussed through the lens of ethnic and party loyalties, although those relationships are never absolute. According to later disclosures, consultants believed that lower turnout among young Afro-Trinidadian voters would disadvantage the People’s National Movement (PNM) and indirectly benefit the United National Congress (UNC)-led coalition contesting the election.[occrp.org]That a concealed political campaign existed.Open source on occrp.org.
Astroturfing and Concealed Sponsorship
The central accusation surrounding Do So is that it was not a spontaneous social movement at all. Critics describe it as an example of astroturfing: a campaign made to look like a grassroots public initiative while actually being organised by political professionals and financial backers.
The story gained international attention after the Cambridge Analytica scandal erupted in 2018. Former employees and leaked material linked the campaign to SCL Elections, the company that later created Cambridge Analytica. Alexander Nix, who became Cambridge Analytica’s chief executive, was recorded discussing operations in Trinidad and Tobago and describing efforts intended to reduce participation among specific groups of voters. Parliamentary investigations in the United Kingdom later examined SCL’s activities in multiple countries as part of broader inquiries into disinformation and election influence.[UK Parliament]publications.parliament.ukUK ParliamentCambridge Analytica and micro-targeting29 Jul 2018 — This chapter will focus on the events that highlighted the extent of th…
Further reporting in 2022 by investigative journalists connected funding for the operation to former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner. According to those investigations, the campaign was designed as an “election engineering” project intended to discourage voting among targeted demographics while concealing its true political sponsorship.[OCCRP]That a concealed political campaign existed.Open source on occrp.org.
This hidden relationship is what makes Do So relevant in discussions of deception. The controversy is not that citizens were encouraged to abstain from voting. Calls for boycotts occur in many democracies. The allegation is that voters were not told who created the message, who financed it, or why the message was being promoted. In that sense, the campaign depended on a gap between appearance and reality: it appeared to be a cultural protest movement but was allegedly designed to achieve a partisan electoral objective.[OCCRP]That a concealed political campaign existed.Open source on occrp.org.
How the Campaign Became Part of the Cambridge Analytica Story
For years, the Do So campaign attracted little international attention. Its profile changed dramatically after whistle-blowers and journalists began exposing the activities of Cambridge Analytica and its parent organisations.
Documentaries, news investigations and parliamentary inquiries highlighted Trinidad and Tobago as an early example of techniques later associated with digital political influence campaigns around the world. Academic discussions of political manipulation frequently cite Do So as a case study because it allegedly combined identity-based targeting, behavioural messaging and concealed sponsorship rather than straightforward political advertising.[philarchive.org]philarchive.orgPhil Archive1Manipulation campaigns around the worldby A Pham · 2022 · Cited by 15 — The first is the 2010 Cambridge Analytica “Do So!” campaign, whic…
The case also became symbolically important because it challenged a common assumption about election manipulation. Public debate often focuses on persuading people to vote for a candidate. The alleged objective here was different: persuading certain people not to vote at all. Scholars examining modern political influence campaigns have therefore treated Do So as an example of voter-suppression messaging rather than conventional persuasion.[PhilArchive]philarchive.orgPhil Archive1Manipulation campaigns around the worldby A Pham · 2022 · Cited by 15 — The first is the 2010 Cambridge Analytica “Do So!” campaign, whic…
What Is Known About Its Electoral Effect?
The most difficult question is also the one many readers care about most: did Do So actually change the outcome of the 2010 election?
The honest answer is that no clear, independently verified measurement exists. Some accounts linked to Cambridge Analytica have suggested that the campaign successfully reduced turnout among young Afro-Trinidadians and contributed to the victory of the UNC-led People’s Partnership coalition. Those claims helped make the story famous.[Wikipedia]WikipediaCambridge AnalyticaCambridge Analytica
However, proving such a claim is extremely difficult. Elections involve many influences at once, including party popularity, leadership changes, economic conditions, coalition-building and local campaigning. The 2010 election produced a substantial victory for the People’s Partnership, and analysts have pointed to numerous factors beyond any single messaging operation.[Wikipedia]Wikipedia2010 Trinidad and Tobago general election2010 Trinidad and Tobago general election
Investigations and public discussions have repeatedly noted the lack of definitive evidence linking turnout changes directly to the Do So campaign. Critics of the Cambridge Analytica narrative have argued that some of the company’s boasts may have exaggerated its own importance, a pattern that has been alleged in discussions of its work in other countries as well.[theballot.world]theballot.worldafter cambridge analyticaThe BallotAfter Cambridge AnalyticaSep 3, 2020 — This interview with Wesley Gibbings, a political reporter in Port of Spain, was conducte…
As a result, two separate claims should be kept distinct:
-
That a concealed political campaign existed. Evidence from recordings, whistle-blower accounts and later investigations has convinced many observers that such an operation was planned and promoted. OCCRP+2Wikipedia
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That the campaign decisively altered the election result. This remains much harder to establish and continues to be debated. The Ballot+2Tufts Now
Why the Story Still Matters
The significance of Do So lies less in proving a single election outcome than in revealing a method of influence. The campaign entered Trinidad and Tobago’s history of contested truth because it allegedly depended on disguising political intent behind the appearance of independent youth activism.
Unlike folklore, urban legends or tourist myths, the deception here was not about a false story concerning the past. It was about obscuring who was speaking in the present. The controversy therefore anticipated later global debates about hidden sponsorship, social-media manipulation, micro-targeting and the ethics of political consulting. UK Parliament+2UK Parliament
For Trinidad and Tobago, the episode remains a reminder that political influence does not always arrive in the form of overt party advertising. Sometimes the most consequential question is not whether a message is true or false, but whether the audience knows who created it and for what purpose. OCCRP
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Endnotes
2.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Cambridge Analytica
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Analytica
3.
Source: publications.parliament.uk
Link:https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmcumeds/363/36306.htm
Source snippet
UK ParliamentCambridge Analytica and micro-targeting29 Jul 2018 — This chapter will focus on the events that highlighted the extent of th...
4.
Source: philarchive.org
Title: Phil Archive1
Link:https://philarchive.org/archive/PHASME
Source snippet
Manipulation campaigns around the worldby A Pham · 2022 · Cited by 15 — The first is the 2010 Cambridge Analytica “Do So!” campaign, whic...
5.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook%E2%80%93Cambridge_Analytica_data_scandal
6.
Source: guardian.co.tt
Title: uncs do so drive uncovered 6.2.1595070.30834ed1c4
Link:https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/uncs-do-so-drive-uncovered-6.2.1595070.30834ed1c4
Source snippet
UNC's 'Do So' drive uncovered24 Dec 2022 — Disgraced former FIFA vice president Jack Warner personally funded an ethnically divisive disi...
7.
Source: publications.parliament.uk
Link:https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmcumeds/363/36309.htm
Source snippet
UK Parliament6SCL influence in foreign elections29 Jul 2018 — Disinformation and 'fake news': Interim Report Contents. 6SCL influence in...
8.
Source: Wikipedia
Title: 2010 Trinidad and Tobago general election
Link:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Trinidad_and_Tobago_general_election
9.
Source: now.tufts.edu
Title: Now Did Cambridge Analytica Sway the Election?
Link:https://now.tufts.edu/2018/05/17/did-cambridge-analytica-sway-election
10.
Source: committees.parliament.uk
Link:https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/90210/html/
11.
Source: publications.parliament.uk
Link:https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmcumeds/1791/179110.htm
13.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Cambridge Analytica
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpbeOCKZFfQ
Additional References
14.
Source: theguardian.com
Title: cambridge analytica execs boast dirty tricks honey traps elections
Link:https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/19/cambridge-analytica-execs-boast-dirty-tricks-honey-traps-elections
Source snippet
The GuardianCambridge Analytica boasts of dirty tricks to swing elections19 Mar 2018 — The company at the centre of the Facebook data bre...
15.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Cambridge Analytica Scandal: PM Wants Answers, COP Distances Itself From UNC
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOFCY1xJg0o
Source snippet
Is our personal data being weaponised against us? | The Bottom Line...
16.
Source: youtube.com
Title: National Security Minister’s Press Conference On Cambridge Analytica
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzPFV7gzG1k
Source snippet
Cambridge Analytica Scandal: PM Wants Answers, COP Distances Itself From UNC...
17.
Source: youtube.com
Title: Is our personal data being weaponised against us? | The Bottom Line
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acDZq8EjMe8
Source snippet
Election info changes quickly. Verify responses with official sources...
18.
Source: youtube.com
Title: UNC’s Rodney Charles Denies Involvement In Cambridge Analytica Scandal
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap_IgU8OXLI
Source snippet
Gov't Seeks Justice In Cambridge Analytica Scandal...
19.
Source: youtube.com
Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjlVmOeH468
Source snippet
National Security Minister's Press Conference On Cambridge Analytica...
20.
Source: researchgate.net
Link:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340404940_The_Effects_of_Modern_Data_Analytics_in_Electoral_Politics_Cambridge_Analytica%27s_Suppression_of_Voter_Agency_and_the_Implications_for_Global_Politics
21.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/citi973/posts/the-company-that-became-cambridge-analytica-boasted-about-interfering-in-foreign/10155752341811107/
22.
Source: facebook.com
Link:https://www.facebook.com/commonwealthsec/posts/-this-week-in-port-of-spain-trinidad-and-tobago-electoral-officials-from-across-/1427972716037286/
23.
Source: skeptics.stackexchange.com
Title: was the do so movement orchestrated by cambridge analytica and is it responsib
Link:https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/48509/was-the-do-so-movement-orchestrated-by-cambridge-analytica-and-is-it-responsib
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