Exclusive | Malaysia’s Najib denies using Cambridge Analytica, accuses Mahathir’s son
Company accused of harvesting personal data from Facebook is said to have “provided advice” on Malaysia’s 2013 general election
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Tuesday denied claims his government had ever engaged the tainted data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica, and instead accused his rival Mahathir Mohamad’s son as the person who had used the company’s controversial services before he crossed aisles to join the opposition.
Cambridge Analytica is also at the centre of a global maelstrom after reports emerged this week that it harvested personal data about Facebook users from 2014.
“Neither Cambridge Analytica nor its parent company SCL Group have ever – now or in the past – been contracted, employed or paid in any way by Barisan Nasional, the Prime Minister’s Office, or any part of the government,” the premier’s spokesman told This Week in Asia in an emailed statement.