No, the scoop ISN’T that the newly unveiled “Social Victory Center” is set to share users’ activity far and wide by default, as Shaun Dakin noted yesterday. That’s annoying, but not exactly news: by now, Facebook is basically “buyer beware” as far as privacy goes.
The disturbing part was in this message from my friend and former NMS colleague Matt DeLuca:
I will be moving on to the Republican National Committee as their Victory Digital Manager and leading up their efforts on their Social Victory Center. I have been impressed by the level of passion and dedication the RNC and Chairman Preibus have put into this application (and digital efforts overall) and I truly believe it can help bridge the offline-online gap and become an effective tool for both the national and state parties.
Why disturbing? Matt’s a smart guy for whose mad skills and killer instinct I have great respect, and as a Democrat who wants to see Obama reelected, I want the Social Victory Center to fail outright. With Matt there, that prospect is a lot less likely, dammit. Plus, I’m jealous of his title — “Victory Digital Manager”? That’s pretty cool…congrats to Matt on the new gig! Other talented friends have also moved on to important roles at campaigns recently, including Lauren Miller and Alex Kellner. This development demands a single response: damn kids, get off my lawn! And when you’re done with the campaigns, come write about ’em at Epolitics.com.
– cpd