Waze ban: Security measure or political diversion?

 

YOURSAY | 'There should be an audit on the TuJu application.'

Govt bans civil servants from using Israel-linked Waze, Anwar promotes local navigation app

GP2025: Are we acting on paranoia? We only need to worry if there are plenty of terrorists in the land, which would only reflect badly on the prime minister’s inability to stop such people.

But I suspect the main reason is to create a narrative to draw attention to another public enemy number one, so that no one asks questions about the alleged unconstitutional decisions his attorney-general is being queried about.

These questions reflect badly on a PM who appears not to know his Constitution.

He signed off on the people’s constitutional rights with a memorandum of understanding, and he’s now worried about data leakage. Hence, is he following the example of rogue nations like Iraq and Iran in banning Waze?

He can’t solve the constitutional crisis in Negeri Sembilan, and he bans Waze to protect against data leakage to Israel, which only targets terrorists?

Doesn’t he know that these days, anyone and any nation can steal data if they want to? Is this an intelligent solution?

BobbyO: Why not stop using all forms of life-saving medications and surgical systems invented by Israel? Why just pick on an app invented by Israelis and now owned by Google?

Let us stop fooling ourselves. If Israel has its tentacles all over the Arabian continent, do you think that this small nation will be out of its reach? Can you guarantee that Israel does not have any foothold in this nation?

Why just pick on Israel and its products? There are a lot of cruel acts, like torture and murder, happening all over the world, committed by people from different religious sects or races. Hundreds of thousands of people are killed either for their religious beliefs or their different opinions.

Why not boycott these nations? Or will picking on Israel and its products gain some desperately needed political points?

Turnedback: I have been using Waze for a few years. Why is Israel interested in tracking our location and movements now? I cannot reason why now, and Waze is so reliable and accurate, leading to the location I want.

Ms: Meanwhile, the scourge that is undermining the nation from within, that which has corroded the innards of the government, is left substantially unaddressed – like the haze, and accepted as a way of life.

Corruption and power abuse by the elite, which has now pitted the head of the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) director-general Shuhaily Zain against the Special Branch, and the racketeers operating freely at ports of entry are being treated as less of a problem than a problem-solving navigation app.

Sealthedeal: There should be an audit on the TuJu application. Who has backdoor access to track your phone, whether the app is in use or not, and how secure really is the data?

Are MPs included in the ban on Waze or just the underlings? The big question: who is making money from TuJu and how did they get the contract? What assessment was made of data security?

PinkJaguar7289: After Zetrix AI, who stands to make money this time? If data security is the reason, publish the evidence and explain how TuJu protects users’ data.

(MyEG and Zetrix AI’s collection services were suspended after the companies failed to settle the outstanding amount despite receiving 35 reminders and being engaged by authorities since May.)

Tell taxpayers who gets the contracts and what it will cost. Otherwise, don’t be surprised when people suspect another money-making opportunity for the well-connected, wrapped in patriotic language.

BluePony6485: How can I be sure that TuJu is not tracking my movements and posing a personal security risk? Certainly, public confidence in our law enforcement agencies is at its lowest.

PetronasTwinTower: I downloaded this TuJu app, but sorry to say it is not user-friendly. The software seems like it is plagiarising Google Maps, but with a downgraded interface.

When I want to register with my Hotmail account, the confirmation email is not sent. Besides, this app is laggy. Whenever I search for a location, it takes around 20 seconds to finish loading, which I never experienced before with either Google Maps or Waze.

BijoyKueien: Yes, I support boycotting products and services operating under Israeli law as a peaceful way to protest Israel’s actions against Palestinians.

We can make our stand through the choices we make every day. And if we have a Malaysian navigation app, why not give it a chance? Supporting local products starts with being willing to use them.

I’ll download TuJu today and start using it. Let’s start with ourselves.

Wonderful123: Waze is great, but too bad it’s an Israeli product. Even though it was sold to Google in 2013, as a company registered in Israel, it’s still naturally bound by Israel’s legal system.

The government launched our local navigation system, namely Tuju. It’s packed with really useful information and actually pretty practical.

CareOneCareAll: Madani should also ban Facebook, Google Maps, Gemini AI and many other products that have Israeli involvement from government servants.

Don’t take planes that have Israeli technology. Use sampan (boats) that have no motors, as the manufacturers could be Jewish-owned.

Don’t Madani have better things to do, like how to lower our cost of living, provide affordable healthcare and better education, and protect children from abuse? - Mkini