What's behind the Trump-linked data firm that claims to know you

New York

STANDING before political and business leaders in New York last autumn, Alexander Nix promised a revolution.

Many companies compete in the market for political microtargeting, using huge data sets and sophisticated software to identify and persuade voters. But Mr Nix's little-known firm, Cambridge Analytica, claimed to have developed something unique: "psychographic" profiles that could predict the personality and hidden political leanings of every American adult.

"Of the two candidates left in the election, one of them is using these technologies," Mr Nix said, referring to Donald Trump.

Capitalising on its work for the man who is now president, Cambridge has pitched potential clients in the United States ranging from MasterCard to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Ahead of t…