KUALA LUMPUR: The ban on the use of the Waze navigation application by civil servants applies only when they are performing official duties.
According to a frequently asked questions (FAQ) document on the directive issued by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar on Tuesday (Oct 20), civil servants are nevertheless encouraged to uninstall the application from their devices and switch to suitable local navigation alternatives.
"This measure is part of efforts to strengthen the security and sovereignty of national information, taking into account the potential collection of users’ location and movement data outside working hours, depending on device settings and application access permissions,” the FAQ stated.
The document said civil servants covered by the directive were those defined under Clause (1) of Article 132 of the Federal Constitution, namely the armed forces, the judicial and legal services, the general public service of the Federation, the police force, joint public services referred to in Article 133, the public services of each state and the education service.
Local navigation alternatives listed in the document include TuJu, a Malaysian-developed platform by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM), and PINTAZ, developed by a local application developer.
The document explained that the decision to prohibit Waze was based on security and data protection concerns involving users in Malaysia, as the application collects various types of information, including users’ location, movement, travel and device data.
According to the FAQ, Waze was developed by Waze Mobile Ltd., a company registered and incorporated under Israeli law.
Its terms of use stipulate that Israeli law applies and that courts in the Tel Aviv District have exclusive jurisdiction over claims or disputes relating to its terms and services.
The document said Waze’s privacy policy indicated that the information collected extended beyond location data to include users’ journeys and routes, GPS data and device sensor information combined with timestamps, IP addresses, as well as information from other sensors or receivers on or around users’ devices.
The policy also stated that location and travel information could be collected even when the application was not actively being used, depending on users’ device and account settings.
According to the FAQ, data collected continuously or repeatedly could reveal users’ movement and activity patterns when compiled and analysed.
"Although there is no evidence that the Waze application conducts such analysis of its users, the possibility that the data collected could be used for or exposed to such analysis remains a risk that must be considered,” the document stated.
In assessing the risks associated with the application, the FAQ said consideration should be given to the types of data accessed, the permissions granted to the application, and the location and jurisdiction in which the data was processed.
The assessment should also cover data retention policies and periods, mechanisms for sharing data with third parties, and the security controls implemented by the application provider.
On Google Maps, the document explained that Google provides its services through Google Ireland Limited for users in the European Economic Area and Switzerland, while Google LLC, based in the United States, serves users in other regions.
According to the FAQ, Google Maps’ terms of use stipulate that disputes relating to its terms and services are governed by California law and must be resolved exclusively in federal or state courts in Santa Clara County, California, the United States.
However, users may bring certain disputes before local courts if applicable local laws prevent those disputes from being resolved in California courts.
Earlier, Shamsul Azri said in a letter dated Oct 20 that civil servants were prohibited from using Waze with immediate effect, following a decision by the National Cyber Security Committee at its third meeting of 2026, chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He also directed all ministry secretaries-general and heads of departments to ensure the decision was communicated to all officers under their supervision, including those in related agencies and departments, for immediate implementation.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said in a statement on Wednesday (Oct 21) that the government had decided to prohibit the use of Waze among all civil servants to protect government information and users’ personal data from the threat of misuse by the Israeli regime. – Bernama
