It was also described as "groundbreaking", a "game changer", and "an application that will change the way campaigns are conducted in the future" [1].
When Obama's campaign did it, it was heralded as the future of democracy. Even the social media director for Obama's 2012 campaign acknowledges that they did the exact same thing that CA is being blasted for now [2]. I'm not sure why you're getting downvotes other than people just wanting to suppress the truth.
