Why Is WAZE Navigation Being Banned For Some Malaysian

Prohibition of Waze Use for Malaysian Civil Servants

Because of a new ‘Security Directive’ from the Malaysian government, there is now a ban on Navigation App WAZE for Public Sector Officers Authority and this was issued by the National Cyber Security Committee (JKSN) and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

On October 20–21, 2026, the Malaysian Federal Government issued an immediate directive banning all civil servants from using the navigation application WAZE while performing official duties. 

Chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the National Cyber Security Committee (JKSN) cited national cyber sovereignty, sensitive data security, and geopolitical exposure tied to the application’s developer origin as the primary drivers behind the prohibition.

Key Reasons for the Ban

Data Security & Sensitive Movement Tracking

Location & Movement Intelligence: According to official government FAQs and directives issued by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, Waze collects extensive telemetry data, including real-time coordinates, speed, routine travel vectors, device information, and background location history.

Operational Risk to Sensitive Personnel: Unrestricted data access poses potential security risks if sensitive movements such as travel patterns of VIPs, military personnel, police convoys and judicial officials are monitored or analysed through third-party telemetry.

2. Corporate Origin & Geopolitical Factors

Israeli Corporate Roots. Waze was originally developed by Waze Mobile Ltd., a software firm incorporated under Israeli law before its 2013 acquisition by Alphabet/Google.

The Prime Minister’s Office emphasised that sensitive state data and personal information must be safeguarded from potential exploitation by foreign state entities or hostile regimes to preserve national sovereignty.

Malaysia maintains a firm non-recognition policy toward Israel and maintains strict national posture regarding data links to Israeli-founded software systems.

Approved Local Alternatives

Civil servants have been directed to transition immediately to locally hosted navigation platforms that operate under domestic data protection standards:

TuJu: A Malaysian digital navigation platform developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) in collaboration with Prosignal Consortium. It offers real-time traffic updates, toll notifications, live CCTV feeds, and emergency highway assistance.

PINTAZ: An alternative domestically produced mapping application approved for public sector usage.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian general public is encouraged though not legally mandated to explore local navigation solutions (to stop using WAZE) to support data sovereignty and privacy protection.