Waze banned for civil servants over Israel links; PM urges all Malaysians to switch to TuJu

The government has banned all civil servants from using the Waze navigation app, and prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is urging the rest of the country to stop using it too. In a media statement today, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said the ban is meant to protect government information and users’ personal data from misuse by the “Israeli regime”.

The PMO said the decision takes into account the position of Waze Mobile Ltd, the controller of the app’s user data, which it says is incorporated and operates under Israeli law. “Sensitive government information and the people’s personal data must be protected from being exploited by the Israeli regime to the detriment of the country’s security and sovereignty,” the statement read (our translation).

It also called on Malaysians to stop using Waze and switch to local alternatives such as TuJu, citing the security and personal data protection it offers. “The MADANI government’s stance is firm, and we will close any gap that could be used by the Israeli regime to threaten the security of the country and its people,” it added.

The ban was set out in a letter dated October 20 from the Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, Bernama reports. It follows a decision made that day at a meeting of the National Cyber Security Committee chaired by Anwar, and takes effect immediately.

The letter went to the secretaries-general of all ministries, heads of federal departments and federal statutory bodies, state secretaries and heads of local authorities. Questions about the directive are to go to the National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA) under the National Security Council.

Anwar first raised the matter in a Facebook post after yesterday’s meeting, saying Waze is bound by the laws of the Israeli government. “We cannot compromise when it comes to the security of our citizens’ data and identities,” he said. According to Reuters, he did not give any details of the risks.

The reports so far don’t say whether the ban covers civil servants’ personal phones or use outside working hours. Raub MP Chow Yu Hui has asked the government to explain this, FMT reports. He also asked, “what is the difference in data security risks between Waze and Google Maps, which are owned by the same parent company?”

Alor Setar MP Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden said that if Waze posed a genuine threat, it should be blocked for everyone in the country, not just civil servants.

Waze was founded in Israel and was bought by Google in 2013, for about US$1 billion according to Reuters. It uses crowd-sourced reports from drivers to provide real-time traffic information.

TuJu was developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) with Prosignal Consortium, and launched last November. Besides navigation and live traffic, it shows toll charges, R&R facilities and live feeds from LLM’s highway CCTV cameras, and has an SOS button for emergencies.

When we covered its launch, TuJu used Google’s mapping and point-of-interest data, as well as technology from Maybank. An LLM official also told us then that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support was planned, but TuJu still has neither. Its Google Play listing shows it for phones only, while Waze’s also lists cars.

The Android version was last updated in August, adding toll announcements along your route and voice search, but the iPhone version hasn’t been updated since its launch. TuJu is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

Will you be switching from Waze to TuJu?

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