From S Murugesan
Last night, I used Waze to find a Japanese restaurant in Bukit Jalil. According to Putrajaya, I may have just put national security at risk.
Let me explain how we got here.
First, the government banned civil servants from using Waze. A circular from the Prime Minister's Department cited the app's links to Israel and data security concerns.
Like most Malaysians, I read the news with some amusement and went about my work. It didn't affect me. What the government wants its employees to do is its business, as long as it doesn't affect my life.
To be fair, I can accept the security argument. It's a known fact that data is mined from apps and social media platforms. Information about civil servants in key positions is sensitive, and I can understand the government being cautious.
Ban it for civil servants? Fine. Encourage Malaysians to use TuJu, our very own navigation app? Still fine. Nothing wrong with promoting local services.
Then the prime minister said the government may ban Waze completely for everyone.
A day later, digital minister Gobind Singh Deo said the ban applies only to civil servants on official duty. So which is it? If even the Cabinet cannot agree on how far this goes, ordinary Malaysians can be forgiven for being confused.
Let me be clear. Banning Waze for all of us would be overreach. The government shouldn't take away Malaysians' choices without a very good reason. So far, we haven't been given one.
Where is the evidence?
If the reason is security, kindly explain, in basic terms, how my using Waze to find a restaurant endangers the nation. I am already fully exposed on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, X and TikTok. What is one more app?
Waze, for its part, has publicly rejected the government's data security claims. If the government has evidence otherwise, please share it. Malaysians can handle the facts.
Why only Waze?
If Waze poses a special threat, tell us why it's being singled out. If the only issue is where the app was founded, then we're on a slippery slope.
Waze has been owned by Google since 2013. My data sits with the same company that runs Google Maps, YouTube and Gmail, and the Android system on most Malaysian phones.
Do we ban those next? Where does it stop?
Is TuJu any safer?
Here is the irony. If spyware like Pegasus, made by Israel's NSO Group, could break into iPhones, how long would it take a determined hacker to break into TuJu?
As an ordinary Malaysian, I would be more worried about my personal information in TuJu than in Waze.
If Waze can misuse my personal data, what is stopping TuJu from doing the same? Who runs TuJu? Who can see my data? Where is it stored?
These are fair questions. Answer them, and TuJu earns our trust. Ignore them, and no ban will fix that.
Let TuJu win on its own
If the real aim is to promote TuJu, the calculation is wrong. People resent being deprived of a choice, especially when they get little in return. Even Gobind told civil servants that if TuJu disappoints, they can use other apps, just not Waze. That is hardly a vote of confidence.
Look, I am happy that we now have our very own navigation app. I will try it. Just let me try it without restricting access to other apps. If, in due time, TuJu turns out to be more user-friendly and caters to my needs, I will use it, without the government pushing it down my throat. Take away my options, and I will resent it.
Competition will make TuJu better. A ban will only build resentment that might show in the next general election.
Build a better map, and Malaysians will find their way to it. No circular required.
S Murugesan is a lawyer and an FMT reader.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.