KUALA LUMPUR: Explain the technical basis for banning civil servants from using Waze, says MCA vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng.
The Tanjung Piai MP said authorities must provide evidence of cybersecurity risks before taking such drastic action, despite understandable concerns over data and location security.
In particular, he said the National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA) should clarify whether its formal risk assessment had identified specific vulnerabilities that had already occurred.
He said this includes any data leaks, unauthorised access, exposure of sensitive operational routes or other specific cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
“If such evidence exists, the government needs to disclose whatever information can be made public to explain why an immediate ban is necessary.
“If the decision is instead based on precautionary concerns relating to the company’s place of registration, legal jurisdiction or potential security risks, this should also be clearly explained.
“Potential risks must not be presented as though a security breach has already occurred,” he said in a press statement Thursday (Oct 22).
Wee also said the government should consider publishing clear security guidelines for navigation and location based applications used by civil servants.
He said the guidelines should specify which categories of civil servants are subject to restrictions, and whether the ban applies only to official devices and work-related duties.
He also warned that while recommending alternative locally developed applications like TuJu was welcomed, being locally developed alone would not guarantee security.
To this, he called for the disclosure of the details regarding TuJu’s data storage locations, permission requirements, encryption standards, and third party audits.
“TuJu’s data retention policies must also be made public, as well as whether it has already undergone independent cybersecurity testing.
“Cybersecurity decisions need to ultimately be based on evidence rather than assumptions.
“We cannot automatically regard software as unsafe simply because it comes from a foreign country, nor assume that an application is secure simply because it was developed locally,” he added.
This comes after Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar issued a directive on Oct 20 prohibiting civil servants from using Waze with immediate effect, following a National Cyber Security Committee meeting chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Then on Oct 21, the Prime Minister’s Office said the move was aimed at protecting government information and users’ personal data from potential misuse by the Israeli regime and applies only when civil servants are performing official duties.
