KUALA LUMPUR: Waze has denied that its navigation application poses a security risk, following the government's directive barring civil servants from using it.
"Claims that Waze collects sensitive government information or allows any entity to exploit personal user data are completely false.
"Waze operates under strict privacy policies that protect user data and comply with global legal data protection standards," a Waze spokesperson told the New Straits Times.
Yesterday, the government ordered all civil servants to stop using the app with immediate effect.
Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar said the ban was decided at a National Cyber Security Committee meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, citing the app's Israeli origins.
Earlier today, National Cyber Security Agency (Nacsa) chief executive Dr Megat Zuhairy Megat Tajuddin said the use of Waze posed a significant security risk as artificial intelligence (AI) advances.
He said location data collected through the app could reveal the places users visited and their movement patterns, and could be used to track government officials if it fell into the wrong hands.
Meanwhile, civil servants who fail to comply with the directive would face disciplinary action, said National Security Council (MKN) director-general Datuk Raja Nushirwan Zainal Abidin.
Separately, cybersecurity technology firm's report ClearPhish had found a database containing more than 7.6 million Waze user records being advertised for sale on a dark web marketplace, Berita Harian reported.
The firm said the database contained usernames, unique user identifiers, GPS location data and travel history, which, if proven authentic, could be exploited for stalking, tracking travel routines and planning targeted attacks.
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd