Recently, the government urged Malaysians to uninstall Waze over concerns that users’ personal and movement data could fall under Israeli jurisdiction.
Likening the importance the government compared it to fuel for a car, saying applications and artificial intelligence platforms depended on data to function and no matter how great the car model is, without fuel one cannot use the car, so this fuel is similar to data — data is actually the fuel for any application or AI platform, including Waze.
What a tired tech cliché.
The "data is the new oil" (or fuel) analogy has officially run out of gas in the era of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and modern AI.
The old analogy implied data is just something you extract, burn, and pollute with. The new reality is all about a continuous, self-sustaining loop of energy.
While standard apps are confined by operating system security, sophisticated platforms or actual malware can bypass these limits.
Tracking can persist even after we delete an app.
When you first use the app, it collects a unique combination of data points (like your IP address, phone model, screen resolution, operating system version, and mobile carrier).
If you delete the app and later browse their website, or use another app that contains their tracking code (SDK), they can match your "fingerprint" and realize it is the exact same device.
Can platforms secretly install malware?
Yes, it is technically possible.
Moreso if Waze is actually and are doing it as alleged by our National Cybersecurity Agency.
Deleting an app only removes the software from our physical device.
Our data remains on the platform's servers.
Any location history, contact lists, or behavioral data they gathered while the app was installed will still belong to them.
Including even after we explicitly delete our account.
Simply telling Malaysians to delete an app is not enough.
Why Not Give Every Malaysian a New Phone?
It is not just the app Waze.
The device of every Malaysian could be hosting deep-seated, persistent tracking software.
The only way to be 100% sure it is clean is to control the hardware itself.
Malaysia should not ape western governments who demonised Huawei, who despite insisting that the Chinese government does not have backdoor access to their products but yet are still banned, in banning use of Waze in the country.
Yes, Huawei involves critical telecommunications infrastructure (5G), where Western governments argue that Chinese national intelligence laws could theoretically compel the company to assist in espionage, despite Huawei's consistent denials and demands for objective proof and Waze, while originally developed in Israel and acquired by Google, is a consumer navigation app that collects real-time location data, raising standard data privacy concerns rather than infrastructure control issues.
Instead of geopolitical alignments, the country and its people should not be made to miss out on the robust infrastructure that will springboard and determine the next phase of growth for this country.
Infrastructure and technological growth are essential foundation stones for Malaysia’s future.
Malaysians needs to have direct access to the tools, connectivity, and industries that drive economic mobility and long-term stability.
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