MUKHRIZ Mahathir has denied using the services of data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica (CA) while leading Kedah Barisan Nasional’s election campaign in the 13th general election.

The former Kedah menteri besar, who is now with opposition party Bersatu, said he never knew about the company despite claims by the company that it had supported BN in Kedah with a targeted messaging campaign that highlighted its school improvements since 2008.

“I led Kedah BN election machinery during GE13, our strategies and tactics were only to defeat the PAS-led government at that time but we were never contacted by the CA, not even once.

“Whatever that we did was based on our own initiatives and ideas, without CA’s help,” he told The Malaysian Insight today.

On its website, CA said BN won Kedah back from Pakatan Rakyat in the 13th general election and walked away from a successful campaign.

“With wins in 21 out of 36 state seats and 10 out of the 15 parliamentary seats in the state,” it said.

He however didn’t discount the possibility of BN headquarters dealing with the firm.

“(But) we in Kedah never knew about CA,” he said.

Two top executives from the firm were recorded in a Channel 4 News undercover video saying they had done electioneering work in Malaysia.

The Channel 4 News team caught executives at CA appearing to say they could extort politicians, send women to entrap them and help proliferate propaganda to help their clients.

CA, however, denied the use of unethical and illegal practices in its election campaign consultancy work as alleged in a Channel 4 News undercover video report.

CA also worked with US President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. Its parent company is Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL).

It was banned from Facebook after failing to delete user data sent to it by a popular psychology test app maker.

According to its website, CA has offices in four major cities in the world and one mysteriously in the Kota Damansara suburb outside Kuala Lumpur. But a visit by The Malaysian Insight to the address on Sunday found it to be a house in a gated and guarded community. – March 20, 2018.