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PARLIAMENT | Chow Yu Hui (Harapan-Raub) has questioned the government’s reported ban on civil servants using navigation app Waze, asking whether other applications, including Google Maps, Instagram, and WhatsApp, would remain permitted.
Speaking during the Supply Bill 2027 debate in the Dewan Rakyat today, he asked whether the directive was genuine and, if so, whether it applied to civil servants’ personal phones and use of Waze outside working hours.
He also questioned why Waze was singled out over potential data security risks, given that...
PARLIAMENT | Chow Yu Hui (Harapan-Raub) has questioned the government’s reported ban on civil servants using navigation app Waze, asking whether other applications, including Google Maps, Instagram, and WhatsApp, would remain permitted.
Speaking during the Supply Bill 2027 debate in the Dewan Rakyat today, he asked whether the directive was genuine and, if so, whether it applied to civil servants’ personal phones and use of Waze outside working hours.
He also questioned why Waze was singled out over potential data security risks, given that it has been owned by Google since 2013.
“If Waze is banned because the company is based in Israel, even though Waze has been owned by Google since 2013, what is the difference in data security risks between Waze and Google Maps, which is owned by the same parent company?” Chow asked.
The DAP lawmaker also cited past reports of US surveillance of foreign leaders, including former German chancellor Angela Merkel, and noted that Washington supports Israel.
He questioned whether similar security concerns should extend to other American technology applications.
/file/attachments/orphans/35234234234_842456.png "Mobile phone app navigation Waze generic 211026")
“Therefore, I hope the government can clarify the basis for the assessment used to ban the use of Waze among all civil servants, as well as the effectiveness of this ban,” Chow added.
Total ban if truly dangerous
Meanwhile, PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden called for a nationwide ban on Waze if it posed a security threat, arguing that the restriction should not be limited to civil servants.
Afnan (PN-Alor Setar) warned that digital threats could go unnoticed and should not be taken lightly.
/file/attachments/orphans/AFNAN1_216322.png "PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden in parliament 211026")
“If Waze is truly dangerous, then don’t allow Waze into Malaysia. Nobody should be allowed to use it, not just civil servants,” he said.
Earlier today, it was reported that the government had barred civil servants from using Waze over concerns about its Israeli origins and potential risks to location data and information security.
The directive reportedly followed a National Cybersecurity Committee meeting chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim yesterday, with the ban taking immediate effect.
In a Facebook post last night, Anwar said the government would not compromise on the security of the people’s data and encouraged civil servants to use TuJu, a local route-planning application developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority.