PETALING JAYA: A PAS lawmaker has questioned the government’s decision to prohibit civil servants from using navigation app Waze, arguing that if the application poses a genuine national security threat, its use should be restricted nationwide rather than only among government personnel.
Alor Setar MP Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden told the Dewan Rakyat today that the government should explain why Waze remained accessible to the public if it was considered dangerous enough to be prohibited within the civil service.
READ MORE: Civil servants barred from using Waze following cybersecurity directive
“If Waze is really dangerous, then don’t allow it into Malaysia. Nobody should be allowed to use Waze, not just civil servants,” he said.
His remarks followed a government circular dated Oct 20 directing civil servants to stop using Waze with immediate effect, following a decision by the National Cyber Security Committee, chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The directive, issued by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, instructed ministries, departments and government agencies to ensure compliance. The National Cyber Security Agency was tasked with coordinating further clarification.
Anwar had raised concerns about potential security risks involving personal information and movement data collected through Waze, noting that the application was subject to Israeli laws.
He also encouraged Malaysians to consider TuJu, a locally developed navigation application by the Malaysian Highway Authority, as an alternative.
Waze was acquired by Google in 2013 and remains headquartered in Israel.
Meanwhile, Afnan raised concerns about emerging digital threats, particularly the alleged use of online gaming platforms to recruit children into extremist activities.
Citing information he said he had read about Roblox, he claimed that terrorist recruiters could exploit the platform’s communication features to approach young players before moving their conversations to separate group chats.
He said children could subsequently be exposed to extremist ideologies, including messages encouraging violence against individuals, the police and government authorities.
“They talk to these children, get to know them and bring them into another group chat. That is where they begin spreading their doctrines.
“This is extremely dangerous. All these matters need serious attention,” he said.
However, Afnan acknowledged that he had not independently verified the information, which he attributed to former Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay.
He also questioned why the authorities had yet to effectively curb the circulation of manipulated images despite rapid advances in artificial intelligence.
He said the misuse of such technology could affect anyone, including political leaders and children who were not involved in wrongdoing.
“These are digital threats that are affecting us without us even realising it,” he said.