Malaysia bans civil servants from using Waze — Channel NewsAsia
On October 20, Malaysia banned civil servants from using the Waze navigation app, citing security risks to sensitive government information and citizens’ personal data. The restriction applies both during working hours and to personal use of the app, Channel NewsAsia reports.
The following day, the office of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that data must be protected from potential use by the “Israeli regime” in a way that could harm the country’s national security and sovereignty. Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with Israel and has long supported the Palestinian cause.
Waze and government positions
Waze rejected accusations that the app collects confidential government information or enables the exploitation of users’ personal data. The service emerged in 2006 as the FreeMap Israel project and was acquired by Google for more than $1 billion in 2013. According to its privacy policy, Waze Mobile operates from Tel Aviv.
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Anwar Ibrahim also urged citizens not to use Waze. At the same time, on October 24, he said that a decision on a possible complete ban on the app would be made only after assessing the functionality of available alternatives.
Drivers complain about alternatives
Some Malaysian drivers said they were not ready to give up Waze because of the accuracy of its travel-time forecasts, information on traffic jams, accidents, speed cameras, and alternative routes. In 2017, Malaysia was reported to have about 6 million active Waze users per month, including 2.5 million in the Kuala Lumpur metropolitan area.
Drivers criticized the local TuJu app, developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority, for lacking certain destinations and offering inconvenient routes. The agency’s head, Hasni Mohammad, explained that TuJu is currently intended primarily for toll highways rather than for direct competition with Waze. Cybersecurity expert Fong Choong Fook noted that other apps and social platforms can also track geolocation and routes.
