Umno prepares IT machinery for cyberwar ahead of GE

IPOH: Umno branches nationwide must form their own Information Technology (IT) and Social Media committees by January next year as part of the party's strategy to prepare for a cyberwar during the 14th General Election.
The party's Information Technology Bureau chairman Datuk Ahmad Maslan (pix) said that Umno has to ward off the spread of hatred and fake news.
Such committees have already been set up at the division level.
Now, Umno wants it to be done at the grassroots' level, said Ahmad.
"The party needs to counter the lies and at the same time disseminate accurate and factual information to the rakyat, " he told reporters after attending a meeting with Umno Ipoh Barat and Ipoh Timur Umno division IT and Social Media Bureaus members here today.
There are 22,000 Umno branches in the country.
Among the tools to be used are the social media networks which feature short videos, infographics, newspaper clippings, caricatures and posters about issues and Umno's explanations to it.
According to him, complaints to Umno about social media abuse cases have jumped from 2,189 cases in 2013 to 4,702 cases for the first nine months of this year.