NewzFormer minister Yeo Bee Yin asked if Putrajaya has engaged Waze's US-based parent company to explore hosting Malaysian data on local servers instead of banning the app outright.PETALING JAYA: Former minister Yeo Bee Yin has urged the government to consult industry experts and navigation technology specialists before moving to ban the use of popular navigation app Waze.The DAP publicity secretary said such a policy decision must not be made in haste as it would affect six million Malaysian road users who depend on Waze, whether for their livelihoods, daily commutes or logistics.Acknowledging concerns over the app's Israeli origins, Yeo questioned why nations under the Gulf Cooperation Council have yet to implement similar bans."Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar have not banned Waze. Yet these nations are located in immediate geographic proximity to the conflict and maintain strict national security protocols."A reactionary ban risks unnecessary public disruption, economic friction for the gig economy, and reputational damage to Malaysia’s digital landscape."We urge the National Security Council (MKN) to consult industry experts, navigation technology specialists and the relevant stakeholders transparently before deciding on the way forward," she said in a statement.Yeo also asked if Putrajaya has engaged Waze's US-based parent company, Alphabet, to explore hosting Malaysian data on local servers instead of banning the app outright.While acknowledging the availability of alternatives like Google Maps, the Puchong MP said commuters commonly reference multiple apps to optimally plan their journeys.Yeo also scoffed at using TuJu as a Waze replacement, questioning whether the government was being realistic."Does the government realistically expect a statutory body like the Malaysian Highway Authority to build, optimise, and maintain a crowd-sourced navigation platform capable of matching global tech giants?"Developing dynamic routing algorithms and maintaining low-latency map data require a massive scale, continuous machine-learning optimisation, and dedicated engineering capacity."Even in South Korea — where the Geospatial Information Management Act restricts full offshore hosting for Google Maps and Waze — viable local alternatives like Naver Map and KakaoMap were built and scaled by multibillion-dollar domestic tech conglomerates, not governmen… From S MurugesanLast night, I used Waze to find a Japanese restaurant in Bukit Jalil.
According to Putrajaya, I may have just put national security at risk.Let me explain how we got here.First, the government banned civil servants from using Waze. A circular from the Prime Minister's Department cited the app's links to Israel and data security concerns.Like most Malaysians, I read the news with some amusement and went about my work. What the government wants its employees to do is its business, as long as it doesn't affect my life.To be fair, I can accept the security argument.
It's a known fact that data is mined from apps and social media platforms. Information about civil servants in key positions is sensitive, and I can understand the government being cautious.Ban it for civil servants? Encourage Malaysians to use TuJu, our very own navigation app?
Nothing wrong with promoting local services.Then the prime minister said the government may ban Waze completely for everyone.A day later, digital minister Gobind Singh Deo said the ban applies only to civil servants on official duty. If even the Cabinet cannot agree on how far this goes, ordinary Malaysians can be forgiven for being confused.Let me be clear. Banning Waze for all of us would be overreach.
The government shouldn't take away Malaysians' choices without a very good reason. So far, we haven't been given one.Where is the evidence?If the reason is security, kindly explain, in basic terms, how my using Waze to find a restaurant endangers the nation. I am already fully exposed on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, X and TikTok.
What is one more app?Waze, for its part, has publicly rejected the government's data security claims. If the government has evidence otherwise, please share it. Malaysians can handle the facts.Why only Waze?If Waze poses a special threat, tell us why it's being singled out.
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