Malaysia bans civil servants from using Waze on security grounds
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Daily Maverick
Malaysia is immediately banning civil servants from using the Israeli-founded navigation app Waze in the name of public data security. The government recommends TuJu, a national mapping app, following a decision by a cybersecurity committee chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, according to an official letter seen by Reuters.
Malaysia has immediately banned civil servants from using Waze, Google’s navigation app, on data security grounds, according to a directive sent to government agency heads on Tuesday. The government’s chief secretary, Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, confirmed the measure, the Daily Maverick reports.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said his government was examining risks associated with the app, which he said was subject to Israeli laws. He recommended TuJu, a local mapping app developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority, as an alternative.
The directive follows a meeting of the national cybersecurity committee chaired by Anwar. Founded in Israel and acquired by Google in 2013 for about one billion dollars, Waze combines satellite signals with data submitted by motorists to provide real-time traffic information.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
