KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — Civil servants have been banned from using the Waze navigation app with immediate effect, following a decision by the National Cyber Security Committee (JKSN) at its meeting yesterday.
In a letter dated October 20, Chief Secretary to the Government (KSN) Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar said the JKSN Meeting No. 3 of 2026 was chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Shamsul Azri said all secretaries-general and department heads must ensure the decision is communicated to officers under their supervision, including related agencies and departments, for immediate implementation.
“Any queries or requests for further clarification regarding this directive may be submitted to the National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA), National Security Council, Prime Minister’s Department, as the coordinating agency for this matter,” the letter read.
He also sought cooperation and serious attention to ensure the decision is fully complied with at the ministry, department and agency levels.
The letter was addressed to all ministry secretaries-general, heads of federal departments, heads of management of federal statutory bodies, state government secretaries and heads of management of local authorities.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister encouraged the public to use the local TuJu app, developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM), as an alternative for road navigation.
Anwar said the recommendation followed security risks to users’ information and movement data from using Waze, which is bound under Israeli government laws.
TuJu was developed by LLM in collaboration with Prosignal Consortium Sdn Bhd and launched by Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi on Nov 26, 2025.
The app, available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, provides route information, travel distance, estimated time of arrival (ETA), toll and real-time traffic information, as well as rest and service area (R&R) facilities, live CCTV access and emergency assistance. — Bernama