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I honestly don't care whether you use Waze, Google Maps, TuJu or whatever navigation app you fancy to get from Point A to Point B. If TuJu works for you, by all means, use it. If you prefer Waze, that's your business.
But when the government tells its civil servants to stop using Waze, I can't help wondering, how far can an employer go in telling its employees what they can and cannot do?
I understand why employers have rules about certain apps. Private companies do it all the time. Some don't allow employees to access social media on company computers. Others don't allow staff to scroll through Facebook or Instagram during working hours. Fair enough. You're paying me to work, so work lah. And if I'm handling confidential information, of course you have every right to protect it.
When it comes to national security, I get it. The government has a responsibility to protect sensitive information too.
But then again, let’s not forget - you employ me, you don't own me.
If a company tells me not to use Facebook on its office computer, no problem. If it tells me not to spend working hours scrolling through Instagram, also no problem. But can it tell me which apps I can keep on my personal phone after I habis kerja? Can it dictate which navigation app I use when I'm out lepaking on a Friday night?
Ban only applies during official duties
According to reports on October 21, the National Cyber Security Committee (JKSN) decided to prohibit civil servants from using Waze, citing concerns about users' information and movement data because the app is subject to Israeli law. The Prime Minister has also encouraged Malaysians to switch to TuJu, a navigation app developed locally.
Now, the government has clarified that the ban applies to civil servants while performing official duties, not their personal use of Waze. But according to the FAQ document issued alongside the directive by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar on October 20, civil servants are also encouraged to uninstall Waze from their devices and switch to local alternatives.
So, if the restriction is only during working hours, why encourage them to uninstall the app altogether?
Are civil servants supposed to install Waze when they clock out and uninstall it before they start work the next morning? What if they use the same phone for work and personal matters?
Let's be realistic. Who actually installs and uninstalls apps every time they go to work? We download the apps we like, keep them on our phones and use them when we need them.
The directive may not technically ban civil servants from using Waze in their personal lives, but encouraging them to uninstall it sends a different message. It makes you wonder whether they are really free to make that choice for themselves.
When your employer tells you not to use an app, and then encourages you to remove it from your personal phone, how much of a choice do you really have?
If the concern is national security, then explain it to us. What exactly is the risk? Is it using Waze while carrying out official duties that poses a problem? Or is having the app on a personal phone a security risk in itself? What evidence does the government have?
I'm not saying there are no risks. Navigation apps collect information to provide their services, and we should all be aware of what we are sharing. If the government has evidence that certain data could compromise national security, then tell us what the problem is and what needs to be done about it.
But surely, there is a difference between protecting national security and telling people what they should or shouldn't have on their personal phones.
Waze vs TuJu
I have absolutely no problem supporting Malaysian products. In fact, I'd love to see our homegrown apps compete with the big international players. If TuJu is good, reliable and safe to use, great! Give us a good reason to use it, and many of us will happily make the switch.
But being a Malaysian app doesn't automatically make it safe, just as being a foreign app doesn't automatically make it dangerous.
I'd like to know how our data is protected, who has access to it and what safeguards are in place. These are questions we should be asking of every app, whether it is developed in Malaysia, Israel, the United States or Timbuktu.
And if this decision is also about showing Malaysia's solidarity with Palestine, are we applying the same principle across the board?
I respect Malaysia's stand in support of the Palestinian people. But if we want to show that we are serious about our position on Israel, shouldn't we also look at the bigger picture?
What about government contracts? What about institutional partnerships? What about the companies supplying goods and services to the government, especially those with documented connections to Israel?
I'm not suggesting that every company with an Israeli connection is automatically doing something wrong. Nor am I saying that dealing with a multinational company means supporting the Israeli government. These things need to be looked at properly, based on facts.
But if we're going to scrutinise a navigation app because of its links and the laws it is subject to, shouldn't we be just as willing to look at our other business relationships?
It's easy to make a statement by telling people to stop using an app. But if the aim is to stand by a principle, shouldn't we be looking at how that principle is applied in other areas too?
At the end of the day, this isn't about whether Waze is better than the defective TuJu. It isn't about whether I'm willing to support a Malaysian product. And it certainly isn't about refusing to take national security seriously.
It's about knowing where to draw the line.
The government has every right to protect sensitive information and set rules for its civil servants while they are doing their jobs. But being a civil servant doesn't mean giving up every personal choice just because the government pays your salary.
Once we accept that our employer gets to dictate our personal choices simply because it pays our salary, where do we draw the line?
Today, it's a navigation app.
Tomorrow, apa pulak?
Fa Abdul (fa.abdul.penang@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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