KUALA LUMPUR: Israel could potentially use Waze data to track the movements of security personnel and high-profile individuals through an intelligence analysis method known as Pattern-of-Life (POL) Intelligence.
Malaysian Institute of Governance, Integrity and Transparency Management (MiGET) adviser Major-General (Rtd) Datuk Dr Mohd Radzi Abd Hamid said continuously collected location data could be analysed to identify a person's travel routines, frequently visited places and changes in activity.
"The threat is not limited to users' location information. It becomes more serious when geospatial data is combined with information from other intelligence sources.
"Through a process called Intelligence Fusion, we can build a more complete picture of a target, including their location, activities, movements and pattern of life.
"In intelligence terms, this relates to Movement Pattern Analysis, Activity-Based Intelligence (ABI) and Target Profiling," he said.
Radzi, a former director-general of the Armed Forces Future Forces Secretariat, said GPS data, travel history, destinations, internet protocol (IP) addresses and device information could reveal a person's daily routine if collected and analysed over time.
He said senior military officers, national leaders and intelligence officers could become targets if their movement patterns were identified through such data.
"For example, a senior military officer or national leader may use Waze daily to travel from home to the office, attend meetings or visit certain locations.
"If that data is collected continuously and accessed by unauthorised parties, a movement pattern could eventually be identified," he said.
However, he said it could not be ascertained to what extent Israel or parties linked to it used Waze data for intelligence purposes.
He said the issue should be viewed from a national security perspective, particularly given the risk that geospatial information leaks could compromise Malaysia's data sovereignty.
He said the importance of protecting the nation's geospatial information had been identified when he was involved in developing the National Geospatial Defence Doctrine in 2016, while serving as Army Doctrine director.
He added that the view had been conveyed to the National Cyber Centre in 2000, before Waze was created.
He said that in modern warfare, a person's location and movements could become high-value intelligence when combined with satellite imagery, communications data and open sources.
"A combination of imagery intelligence (IMINT), signals intelligence (SIGINT) and open-source intelligence (OSINT) can be processed to produce Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT), providing a more comprehensive picture of a target," he said.
He said the ban on civil servants using Waze could serve as a preventive measure, but a comprehensive risk assessment should also cover other applications.
"I am viewing this government directive from a national security standpoint, and not merely because Waze originated from Israel.
"The same risk should be assessed for other mapping apps, fitness apps, smartwatches and food delivery services that use location data.
"Malaysia needs to strengthen its digital and geospatial data sovereignty to ensure information vital to national security is protected from unauthorised access or exploitation," said Radzi.
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