KUALA LUMPUR: Two MPs have questioned the government’s decision to ban civil servants from using the popular navigation app Waze, which was developed in Israel.
Chow Yu Hui (PH-Raub) asked whether the ban covers their personal phones and use outside working hours.
He also said that if the concern was that Israel could access location data, the government should also ban American-made apps such as WhatsApp, Instagram, and Google Maps.
Chow pointed out that Google, which also owns Google Maps, had acquired Waze in 2013.
"So, what is the difference in data security risks between Waze and Google Maps, which are owned by the same parent company?" he asked while debating the 2027 budget in the Dewan Rakyat today.
"Therefore, I hope the government can explain the basis for its decision to ban Waze among all public servants and the effectiveness of this ban."
Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden (PAS-Alor Setar) said if Waze posed a genuine threat, its use should be blocked for everyone in the country, not just civil servants.
“This is a digital threat that is affecting us without us even realising it,” he said.
Beyond the ban on civil servants, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has urged Malaysians to consider TuJu, a local navigation app developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority.
Anwar said the government was looking into potential security risks arising from the use of Waze, which he said "was bound to Israeli laws".
Waze was acquired by Alphabet-owned Google in June 2013 for about US$1.15 billion. Google said at the time that Waze's product development team would remain in Israel and operate separately.