Govt urges Malaysians to uninstall Waze over Israeli data laws, stops short of blanket ban

The National Security Council has once again urged Malaysians to refrain from using the Waze navigation app due to privacy concerns. Datuk Raja Nushirwan Zainal Abidin, the council's director-general, highlighted the app's potential to collect user data even when not in active use, depending on device settings. He emphasized that this call applies to civil servants performing official duties, although they are advised to uninstall the app from their personal devices as well.

Raja Nushirwan suggested TuJu, an app developed with the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) under the Works Ministry, as a viable alternative to Waze. He also mentioned other suitable navigation apps, including Google Maps. The government's commitment to bolstering the local ICT industry and promoting artificial intelligence (AI) technology and ICT applications was underscored.

Raja Nushirwan stated that if Malaysians do not support locally developed apps, achieving Malaysia's aspiration to become a producer of AI technology and ICT applications will be challenging.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had earlier directed civil servants to stop using Waze and encouraged the public to do the same, citing worries about sensitive government information and personal data falling into the hands of Israel.