PETALING JAYA: Civil servants who defy the ban on the use of the navigation app Waze could face disciplinary action, says National Security Council director-general Raja Nushirwan Zainal Abidin.
He said department heads would oversee compliance with the directive, issued in a circular by Chief Secretary Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
"Any breach of a directive issued by the chief secretary carries disciplinary implications," he said at a briefing on national security issues today, Bernama reported.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said yesterday that the ban on civil servants using Waze was to prevent Israel from misusing government information and users' personal data.
He said the decision took into account Waze Mobile Ltd’s status as a data controller incorporated and operating under Israeli law, and that sensitive government information and Malaysians' data must be protected from exploitation by Israel "in ways that could threaten national security and sovereignty".
Raja Nushirwan said location and movement data collected by Waze could be analysed and exploited by malicious parties using artificial intelligence.
"Waze collects various detailed user information, including location data, travel movements and device information. Depending on device settings, this information may be collected even when the app is not being actively used.
"When analysed collectively, such data could reveal users' movements and activity patterns. For civil servants, this could be a highly sensitive issue," he said.
Raja Nushirwan said rather than imposing an outright ban on the public use of Waze, the government wanted Malaysians to understand the security risks and make informed choices.
"We must always balance security concerns with human rights, freedom of expression and freedom of choice. We leave it to Malaysians to make their own decisions," he said.
Raja Nushirwan said the government would periodically assess the effectiveness of this approach before deciding whether further measures were necessary.
He said an immediate nationwide ban on Waze could send a negative signal to app developers and the broader information and communications technology sector.
Raja Nushirwan also encouraged Malaysians to uninstall Waze and switch to local alternatives such as TuJu, developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority.