![]() In a first step, we discuss the theoretical, historical and legal principles of data-driven canvassing with a comprehensive review of literature on data-driven campaigning and data protection laws in Germany. Three central research questions structure our work: (1) What importance do German parties attribute to the use of data for targeting voters in contemporary campaigns? (2) How do German parties use data for targeting voters through canvassing efforts? and (3) What are the restrictions on data-driven political micro-targeting in Germany? On the opposite, supporters hope for a mobilisation of specific target-groups like swing voters or infrequently voting partisans who often abstain from voting.īased on theoretical predictions derived from the extensively studied US case, we discuss data-driven political micro-targeting against the backdrop of canvassing in the German social, legal and electoral context from a political actor´s perspective. In Germany, data-driven efforts are a subject of controversial public discussion: critics fear manipulations of voters and violations of national privacy laws. ![]() This said, the Obama, Clinton and Trump campaigns made data-driven campaigning and micro-targeting known to a broader public. Therefore, the variation in the institutional frameworks, social and legislative conditions is almost limited to the one-country case and reveals the existence of a research gap regarding data-driven canvassing in parliamentary democracies with strict data protection laws. A look at the extensive research literature about data-driven canvassing reveals a sharp contrast in the number of studies conducted in the US to research in European countries, and especially Germany. This revitalisation heavily relates to campaigns´ growing possibilities for analysing voter data to gain knowledge about their constituents, identifying their most likely voters and serving up personalised messages through face-to-face conversations. Introductionĭespite the manifold opportunities presented by online campaign tools and multimedia channels nowadays, political parties in the US and Europe seem to have built a resurgent interest in an originally 'premodern' campaign tool to mobilise voters and ultimately generate votes: door-to-door canvassing. ![]() This paper is part of Political micro-targeting, a special issue of Internet Policy Review guest-edited by Balázs Bodó, Natali Helberger, and Claes H. ![]()
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