KUALA LUMPUR: The government has been urged to provide a detailed explanation of the rationale behind the ban on the use of the Waze navigation app by civil servants, as well as the risk levels associated with other popular applications.
Chow Yu Hui (Pakatan-Raub) said that the ban on Waze, over concerns that location data could be exposed to Israel, warranted clarification, particularly regarding how its security risks differed from those of other popular US-owned applications, such as WhatsApp and Instagram.
He said that the United States itself had a record of surveilling foreign leaders and had openly supported Israel, adding that the government should be transparent about the differences in risk levels considered in making the decision.
"The United States has also been implicated in revelations about the surveillance of foreign leaders, including former German chancellor Angela Merkel. Moreover, the US government supports Israel.
"If Waze is banned on the grounds that its company is based in Israel, when Waze has been owned by Google since 2013, what is the difference in data security risks between Waze and Google Maps, which is owned by the same parent company?" he asked, when debating the Supply (Budget) Bill 2027 at the policy stage in the Dewan Rakyat, Wednesday (Oct 21).
Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen (Pakatan-Bandar Kuching) shared similar concerns, raising questions about the security of other applications commonly used by the public.
"It is said that Waze's database is located in Israel, but many of the applications we use are also controlled by Jewish companies or individuals.
"So, are they also exposed to the same security risks? I am not disputing the possibility of security issues, but I believe a detailed explanation should be provided, because many people are now wondering why this decision was made, and whether they themselves are exposed to these risks," he said.
Earlier, the government decided to prohibit all civil servants from using the Waze navigation application, to protect government information and users' personal data from the threat of misuse by the Israeli regime.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the decision took into account the status of Waze Mobile Ltd as a user data controller, incorporated and operating under Israeli law.
The Dewan Rakyat sitting resumes Thursday (Oct 22). - Bernama
