CIVIL servants have been instructed to discontinue using navigation app Waze with immediate effect, following a directive issued by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
The order follows a meeting of the National Cyber Security Committee (JKSN), chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, which discussed potential cybersecurity threats associated with the application.
According to the circular, secretaries-general of ministries and heads of departments are responsible for informing all officers under their respective jurisdictions, including personnel within their agencies and departments, to ensure the directive is implemented without delay.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Anwar said the committee had examined information security concerns, particularly the possibility of exposing data related to public movements through Waze.
He also highlighted that the application falls under Israeli government laws, raising concerns over the security of such information.
But more importantly, how will the government enforce this directive among the civil servants?
Will period spot checks be done where the staff are required to hand in their phones to ensure Waze was not installed?
The statement also did not reveal any form of penalty or action to be taken towards staff who are found to continue using the app.
As an alternative, the Prime Minister recommended TuJu, a locally developed navigation application by the Malaysian Highway Authority, encouraging civil servants to use the homegrown platform instead.
The topic has since garnered quite the response on threads where netizens debated the effectiveness of TuJu as well as some substitutes for the app.
According to farishussain93, the app was defective since it showed a straight line in the navigation map.
His comment was echoed by several others:
Zaimi_ig said he used Waze to detect roadblocks, speed traps and road closure. He wondered if TuJu had the same function.
Several others suggested that the Waze app be blocked from entering Malaysia in the first place instead of restricting its usage among government servants.
“Don’t forget to delete your account before uninstalling,” added mr.abumanfredi.
Also, netizen fizamustafarkamar pointed out that TuJu was using Google Maps too.
Another netizen further recommended PINTAZ as a better alternative to TuJu.
Ultimately, the success of the directive will depend not only on compliance among civil servants but also on whether TuJu can offer a reliable and practical alternative.
With questions over enforcement and the app’s capabilities still being raised, the government may need to address these concerns to ensure the transition proceeds smoothly.—Oct 21, 2026
