Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has encouraged Malaysians to use the locally developed TuJu highway navigation app instead of Waze, citing concerns over the security of public movement data. In a statement, he claimed that Waze is bound by Israeli government laws, raising potential information and data security risks associated with the app’s tracking of public movements.
The matter was discussed during the National Cyber Security Committee (JKSN) meeting yesterday, which reviewed the country’s cyber threats and preparedness. However, Anwar did not elaborate on the specific risks identified or provide further details about Waze’s alleged legal ties to the Israeli government.
Developed in Israel, Waze is now owned by Google, which acquired the service in 2013 for nearly US$1 billion. The app relies heavily on crowdsourced information, allowing drivers to report traffic congestion, accidents and other road incidents in real time, which it then uses to suggest alternative routes.
