KUALA LUMPUR: The government should consult industry experts and navigation technology specialists before deciding whether to impose a nationwide ban on Waze.
Puchong MP Yeo Bee Yin, who is also DAP national publicity secretary warned that a hasty decision could disrupt millions of Malaysians who rely on the application for daily commutes, logistics and their livelihoods.
"We urge the National Security Council to consult industry experts and navigation technology specialists, as well as engage relevant stakeholders transparently, before deciding on the way forward," she said in a statement today.
Yeo said the proposed ban could affect more than six million road users who depend on real-time navigation.
She questioned why Gulf Cooperation Council nations had not banned Waze despite their proximity to the Middle East conflict and stringent national security measures.
She also asked whether the government had engaged Waze's parent company, United States-based Alphabet, to explore technical measures, including hosting Malaysian users' location data on local servers, to address data sovereignty concerns.
On alternatives, Yeo said motorists and commercial drivers often relied on multiple navigation applications to compare routes, road hazards and real-time traffic conditions.
"If the administration intends to replace Waze, what credible, enterprise-grade alternatives is the government currently evaluating, and have their operational capacity and routing algorithms been stress-tested for nationwide commercial use?" she said.
She also questioned whether the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) had the technical capacity to develop and maintain its TuJu navigation application to compete with established global platforms.
"A reactionary ban risks unnecessary public disruption, economic friction for the gig economy and reputational damage to Malaysia's digital landscape," she said.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the government had not ruled out a complete ban on Waze if suitable alternatives, including locally developed navigation applications, became available.
The announcement followed Wednesday's decision to prohibit civil servants from using Waze over national security and data protection concerns linked to the application's Israeli origins and legal jurisdiction.
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