Govt must prove Waze a security risk, says PAS sec-gen

PAS secretary-general Takiyuddin Hassan has stated that the government must provide evidence to prove that the navigation app Waze poses a security risk to Malaysia. This comes as the current administration considers a complete ban on the app, which currently only applies to civil servants. Takiyuddin, a former law minister, expressed doubt over how such a ban could be implemented, but supported the idea nonetheless.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim hinted at the possibility of a full ban if locally developed navigation apps are found to be sufficient. He emphasized that national security must come first and speculated that Israel might exert influence against Malaysia. Anwar claimed that the ban on civil servants using Waze was to prevent Israel from misusing government information and users' personal data.

However, Waze has denied these allegations. Former minister Yeo Bee Yin has urged the government to seek input from industry experts and navigation technology specialists before making any final decisions on the ban.