DAPSY urges Putrajaya to reconsider Waze ban, cites transparency and TuJu concerns

 

THE DAP Socialist Youth (DAPSY) has urged the government to review its directive prohibiting civil servants from using Waze for official duties, calling for greater transparency over the security concerns behind the decision.

In a statement, DAPSY said the government should adopt a more pragmatic approach to cybersecurity and provide sufficient justification for restricting the widely used navigation app.

The directive, issued following a meeting of the National Cyber Security Committee chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Oct 20, took effect immediately.

The government cited concerns about the potential exposure of users’ location and movement data, noting that Waze’s data controller operates under Israeli law.

DAPSY acknowledged the importance of protecting national security and personal information but said the public had not been presented with sufficient evidence that Waze had compromised Malaysia’s security or misused users’ data.

“While DAPSY acknowledges the importance of strengthening cybersecurity, we question the rationale and justification of officials who proposed this blanket ban,” it said.

“Rather than reassuring the public, such a sweeping decision risks generating further questions and undermining public trust.”

Instead of applying broad restrictions, DAPSY proposed targeted safeguards for officials handling confidential information and sensitive duties, including military personnel, intelligence officers and senior security officials.

The group also raised concerns about the government’s recommendation to use TuJu, a locally developed navigation app created by the Malaysian Highway Authority in collaboration with Prosignal Consortium Sdn Bhd.

TuJu offers route guidance, estimated travel times, toll information, traffic updates and access to highway CCTV feeds.

However, the app’s navigation function was temporarily disrupted on Oct 22 while it underwent system upgrades, according to a notice from the highway authority. The notice did not specify when navigation would be fully restored.

“The government’s recommendation to replace Waze with the locally developed TuJu application has caused unnecessary confusion and dissatisfaction among the public,” DAPSY continued.

“Many users tried TuJu and highlighted technical shortcomings, proving that the application can hardly be a reliable and practical alternative.

“Banning a well-established application in favour of an alternative with significant technical issues risks further eroding public trust in government institutions.”

It urged the authorities to listen to public feedback and ensure that any replacement was practical, reliable and capable of meeting users’ needs.

The group reiterated that cybersecurity and data protection were important priorities, but said security measures should be supported by evidence, transparency and public trust.

DAPSY called on Anwar and the government to reconsider the directive and adopt a balanced approach that addresses legitimate security concerns without imposing unnecessarily broad restrictions.

It said the government should explain its rationale clearly and ensure that any navigation app recommended for official use meets appropriate security and performance standards. ‒  Focus Malaysia