Anwar Ibrahim Encourages Malaysians To Use TuJu Instead Of Waze

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has urged Malaysians to use the locally developed TuJu app for highway navigation instead of Waze, due to concerns over the security of public movement data collected by Waze. During a National Cyber Security Committee meeting, Anwar highlighted potential data security risks associated with Waze's tracking of public movements, which could be affected by Israeli government laws.

Waze, originally developed in Israel and now owned by Google, relies on crowdsourced information to suggest alternative routes based on reported traffic congestion and incidents. While there are no reported cases of misuse of this data, Waze's privacy policy allows it to collect a wide range of information, including locations, routes, destinations, search histories, and device details.

The Malaysian government is reviewing various cybersecurity measures, including the implementation of the Cyber Security Act 2024, the security of MyDigital ID, and protection of National Critical Information Infrastructure (NCII). A ban on Waze by Iraq is also in the works, set to take effect by the end of 2026, due to the app's Israeli origins and the country's legal stance against Israel.