Story perspectives

Anwar Orders Civil Servant Ban on Waze App

By Drooid · Oct 24, 2026, 8:08 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Anwar Bans Waze

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim ordered a ban on civil servants using the Waze navigation app.
He said the ban protects government information and personal data from misuse under Israeli law.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo limited the ban to official duties and warned of disciplinary action.
Waze spokesperson told AFP the allegations of collecting sensitive government data are completely false.

Summary

TuJu Offline Surge

Users reported TuJu’s navigation and route-planning features offline after a surge in downloads.
Malaysian Highway Authority apologized for the outage and said upgrades are underway.
Lawmakers, including Lim Guan Eng, called TuJu a “national embarrassment” in parliament.
National Cyber Security Agency warned of potential data exposure despite no evidence of a breach.
Opposition demanded an audit of TuJu’s contracts and data security over cost-transparency concerns.

History

Historical Context

In June 2020, after the Galwan Valley clash, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology blocked 59 Chinese apps—including TikTok—citing threats to sovereignty and data security. The move echoed a broader pattern of governments, such as the UK (2023) and the United States (2024), restricting foreign apps on official devices. Malaysia’s 2024 ban on Waze for civil servants follows the same data-privacy concerns.

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Anwar Bans Waze

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim ordered a ban on civil servants using the Waze navigation app.
He said the ban protects government information and personal data from misuse under Israeli law.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo limited the ban to official duties and warned of disciplinary action.
Waze spokesperson told AFP the allegations of collecting sensitive government data are completely false.

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