PETALING JAYA: Malaysia needs to develop more homegrown navigation apps tailored to local needs, including through collaboration with established technology companies, say users.
This follows the government’s ban on civil servants from using the Waze navigation app. However, the locally created app TuJu has also been a disappointment.
A collaboration with Singapore-based Grab could provide an opportunity to develop a navigation application better suited to Malaysian users, said Muhammad Ezaly Iman Ramly, a cybersecurity specialist at Yayasan Digital
He also said debate over the ban on Waze for civil servants should focus on legal jurisdiction and the protection of Malaysian users’ data.
“The issue is more about legal jurisdiction than security or data sovereignty. Waze should clearly state the extent of authority that Israel holds over its users’ data.
“If Israel has full legal control over the data, foreign law may override our data protection requirements.
“It should also be verified whether any Malaysian user data resides in jurisdictions deemed unfavourable, such as Israel,” he said.
Student Jasmine Husin, 21, from Ampang, said there was no reason to be upset over a possible Waze ban, given the availability of alternatives like Google Maps and Apple Maps.
“If there is an alternative, people will eventually move on to another one. Malaysians do not really need Waze,” she said.
However, university student Pretesha Muthu Kumar, 24, from Kuala Lumpur, felt a complete ban would be excessive because users should have a choice.
“People should be able to have options. Whether Waze or other applications are available should not matter because, in the end, the application needs to work properly,” she said.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has said a nationwide ban on Waze was possible once suitable alternatives became available.
A 2022 poll among CarTell community members, reported by Carlist.my, found that 62.5% of users preferred Waze, compared with 37.5% who chose Google Maps.
