McKinsey & Company—McKinsey report identified Saudi Twitter critics, one later persecuted by authorities
McKinsey prepared a December 2016 report measuring public response to Saudi government policy, identifying three Twitter users as key online influencers including Omar Abdulaziz, a close associate of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Following the report, Saudi authorities imprisoned and tortured Abdulaziz's family and associates. Another identified writer was imprisoned, and a third anonymous user disappeared from the internet. Abdulaziz filed a lawsuit alleging McKinsey outed him to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authoritarian Compliance | +toward | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.429 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.57)× agency (negligent ×0.5)
Evidence (1 signal)
Exiled Saudi dissident Omar Abdulaziz sued McKinsey for outing him to Saudi authorities
Omar Abdulaziz, a close associate of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi, filed a lawsuit against McKinsey in New York Supreme Court alleging the firm's December 2016 report identified him as a key online critic of the Saudi government. Following the report, Saudi authorities imprisoned and tortured his family and associates. Of three critics identified, one was imprisoned and one disappeared from the internet.