The government is examining potential security risks regarding Waze due to its exposure to Israeli laws, encouraging Malaysians to use the local app TuJu instead.
PETALING JAYA: The government is scrutinising potential security risks involving Malaysians’ personal information and travel data collected through popular navigation app Waze, amid concerns over its exposure to Israeli laws, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said.
Anwar said the matter was among the issues discussed at the National Cyber Security Committee’s (JKSN) third meeting of 2026, which he chaired today, as the government moves to strengthen the country’s digital sovereignty and preparedness against emerging cyber threats.
“The meeting also examined information security risks and data on people’s movements arising from the use of Waze, which is subject to Israeli government laws,” he said in a Facebook post today.
He said the government was encouraging Malaysians to consider TuJu, a locally developed navigation application by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM), as an alternative.
Waze, a GPS navigation application founded in Israel in 2008 and acquired by US technology giant Google in 2013, is widely used by Malaysian motorists for real-time traffic updates, alternative routes and alerts on accidents, road closures and congestion.
The app relies on location data and crowdsourced information from users to provide navigation services, raising questions over how motorists’ travel patterns and personal information are collected, stored and protected.
Seperately, the meeting also reviewed the implementation of the Cyber Security Act 2024, the security of MyDigital ID, and measures to protect the country’s National Critical Information Infrastructure (NCII).
Anwar said discussions also focused on emerging threats posed by autonomous artificial intelligence systems and preparations for quantum computing risks through the adoption of post-quantum cryptography (PQC).
He stressed that protecting Malaysians’ personal data and digital identities must remain a national priority as the government accelerates the digitalisation of public services.
“We cannot compromise on the security of people’s data and identities,” he said.
Anwar said the government was strengthening its integrated identity ecosystem, with MyKad serving as a physical credential and MyDigital ID facilitating digital transactions.
He said these measures would be supported by stronger cybersecurity safeguards, including preparations to counter future threats through PQC.
“These efforts are important to ensure that the digitalisation of public services continues to benefit the people without neglecting security, trust and national sovereignty,” he said.