Thread by @Bryson_M

The #ETHI committee is kicking off with #AggregateIQ immediately claiming they've never been a subsidiary of SCL Group Inc.

Next up: #AggregateIQ is not a big data company, nor a 'practitioner of digital dark arts'

AIQ COO Jeff Sylvester explained the discovery of the fully public git repo by @VickerySec as unauthorized access to a company server, and the public data was there inadvertently. Sylvester has apologized to committee for that info being found there.

AIQ just said they don't think they were part of illegal activity, even after what the world has learned

A couple people went to the UK for Brexit but most of work was done in Victoria, B.C.

Asked about the online storage drive coordination, AIQ wasn't aware of the Brexit leave campaign online storage drives. Massingham doesn't remember why he was part of it.

Liberal MP Erskine-Smith just requested slack logs to learn how the Brexit campaigns coordinated the ad spend. They'll see what what they have.

Conservative MP Kent has just asked about @chrisinsilico's relationship with AIQ.

Sylvester has just flat out denied @chrisinsilico set up AIQ

Sylvester has continued to deny that the 'walls were very porous' between the companies

Kent has asked about the public nature of github and if AIQ knows if the personal data was accessed. Sylvester explained that when they figured it out, the B.C. privacy commish was notified.

MP Charlie Angus with the receipts about SCL and AIQ relationships. He makes sure Massingham understands he's can't 'make stuff up'

Angus asks if AIQ will take the fall for SCL because of the damage to AIQ's reputation. Again Massingham states he's not part of SCL.

Angus bringing up @chrisinsilico's conversation about Brexit campaign interconnectedness

Sylvester does say that AIQ worked for SCL, but they're 'not a part of them' Angus asks if that work was legal.

Silvester (apologies for the autocorrects) says that they worked on no remain campaigns and were introduced or had incoming connections to leave campaigns. @chrisinsilico did not introduce any, he said.

MP Frank Baylis is trying to figure out what made AIQ so attractive for all the various Leave campaigns, if they didn't coordinate.

Silvester couldn't answer why or how each of the campaigns knew about their services.

Highlighting one their element of AIQ's expertise, Silvester points to the speed they can get an campaign online

MP Raj Saini has asked about AIQ's start up costs, where did that money come from? "Wasn't that much": Silvester

Saini refers back to @chrisinsilico testimony which refers to AIQ being a SCL shell company, but again Silvester denies the connection

Next Q is about Ripon, AIQ's campaign management software. At the end of the campaign, AIQ gave ownership of Ripon to SCL. "They paid us to make it": Silvester.

"We've never done work in Kenya" but did in Nigeria and Trinidad and Tobego. Worked for a indp party in support of Goodluck Jonathan. Asked about @chrisinsilico testimony about a violent video ad, but AIQ was not willing to run with it.

Peter Kent asks about @VickerySec testimony about Saga and Monarch tools.

Does AIQ know if data has been properly collected or not. Initially answer is 'no' by Silvester. But goes on to explain that the data is provided by the customer to AIQ. "We're not data harvesters" and "we don't do psychographic profiling" he says.

AIQ explains its work in Canada as not for federal parties (it was a variety B.C. Liberals) after being asked if they influence elections here. Silvester does say that the customer hopes AIQ can influence the election, but all above board.

MP Mona Fortier has asked Massingham if AIQ has received any legal notice about it's work. He defers to Silvester.

Silvester does not believe AIQ has violated any Canadian or foreign laws.

Fortier has continued to ask about data or security breaches. Silvester points to the March 25 publication of AIQ's github

Silvester said the company has reviewed it's security practises.

SCL provided violent video in the news to AIQ, says Massingham. AIQ said they did not run with the violent video in Nigeria.

Now Charlie Angus has asked Massingham how SCL CA and AIQ coordinated working in Nigeria. Massignham now said that they didn't know Cambridge Analytica existed during that campaign.

Angus is a bit shocked with that answer. 'I may have misspoken there' said Massingham, about his previous statement.

Massingham has denied AIQ is a money laundering proxy.

SCL did provide "scores and ranking" in some of the data when designing the American campaign software for the company, says Silvester. Asked if they've used those scores elsewhere, 'No' he says.

Now MP Vandenbeld has asked about the jurisdiction AIQ operates in. The local law applies, says Silvester.

Kent has asked about Silvester's early relationship with @chrisinsilico. Silvester recommended Wylie get the role under the Liberals at that time, but didn't know what he was doing after.

Silvester tells Kent that AIQ will draw the line when they deem a client as acting unethical.

Angus referencing recent Brittany Kaiser testimony about AIQ and CA relationship, "I can't speak to that" said Massignham. He continues to deny statements from a variety of people about links between AIQ and SCL.

SCL had Massingham's personal phone number to connect to him, he says.

"Why is everyone against you?" asks Angus after listing again the pile of alleged connections between AIQ and SCL. "I don't know" says Massingham.

Angus explaining parliamentary privilege trying to get to the bottom of why Massingham is denying all these connections. 'I can tell you, we're not a part of SCL or Cambridge Analytica," says Massingham.

(When testifying to a Parliamentary committee, your words can't be used against you in court)

Massingham can't speak to the effect AIQ's work in Britain had, they just did what they were asked to by their clients, he says.

Again, the reps from AIQ are denying the statements made by @chrisinsilico. Fun parallel with the UK committee.

Massingham has denied there was any discussion about how to spend the ~600k pounds. There might have been correspondence how to accept the money transfer, says Massingham. Erskine-Smith has asked for any relevant records.

Massingham can't answer how the actions of the various leave campaign wasn't coordinated after Erskine-Smith outlines the coincidences in the funding.

AIQ received £625K payments within days from BeLeave and Vote Leave campaigner @darrengrimes_

MPs are getting texts in the middle of the committee from UK officials refuting the points made by AIQ reps today

MP Frank Baylis: "Who is telling the truth?" "if she has additional questions.." says Silvester.

Vote Leave paid the BeLeave invoice according to Silvester. We thought it was odd says Silvester, we looked into it

Picking up again, Silvester has denied that there was data transferred between CA and AIQ, the opposite of what Kaiser testified to UK parliament.

Saini is reading Kaiser's testimony to the UK parliament and Silvester has directly refuted it.

Back to Angus, "Do you want to continue saying you're not the head of SCL Canada?" "I'm not the head of SCL Canada," says Massingham

Angus sounds quite skeptical about the veracity of the statements made by AIQ reps today.

Chair of the #ETHI commitee Bob Zimmer wrapping up with AggregateIQ: "Something doesn't smell right here"