Waze ban explained: The circular, the concerns and TuJu

The government’s Waze ban took effect on 20 October. The Chief Secretary to the Government, Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar told the public service to stop using the app immediately, The Star reported.

The circular followed a National Cyber Security Committee meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar Ibrahim said the meeting looked at information security risks. It also looked at possible exposure of public movement data. He said Israeli government laws apply to Waze, Lowyat reported.

This explainer covers the circular and Waze’s history. It also covers Google’s role, the data worries and TuJu.

The Waze ban: what the circular says

The circular is dated 20 October. Chief Secretary issued it, The Star said. It tells the public service to drop Waze at once.

Anwar said the decision took Waze Mobile Ltd’s status into account. He described it as a user data controller incorporated and operating under Israeli law.

He said sensitive government information and citizens’ personal data must be protected from being exploited by the “Israeli regime”. He added that national security and sovereignty must not be harmed.

It came after the National Cyber Security Committee (JKSN) met on 20 October, The Vibes reported. Ministry secretaries-general and department heads must pass it to officers, including agencies and related departments, SCMP reported.

Nacsa chief executive Dr Megat Zuhairy Megat Tajuddin confirmed the circular is real, The Star said..

According BFM News, the government clarified that the Waze ban applies to civil servants only when performing official duties.

Malaysiakini said it asked the Chief Secretary, the Digital Minister and the Prime Minister’s Office for comment. It reported no replies. Waze and Google have not responded in any report we read.

Waze explained: Who founded it and what Google does

Waze began in 2006 as FreeMap Israel, a crowdsourced map project started by programmer Ehud Shabtai, Wikipedia says. Shabtai formed Waze in 2008 to sell it as a product. It became Waze Mobile Ltd in 2009.

Wikipedia names Shabtai, Amir Shinar and Uri Levine as the Israeli founders. They first built it in Israel.

The app mixes route directions with reports from users, called Wazers. They flag crashes, jams, speed traps and police checks. Waze also gets speed and location from users’ phones.

Google bought Waze in June 2013, when it had nearly 50 million users. Reports put the price near US$1 billion or more. Its team kept working in Israel as a separate unit.

Users can also edit the map, Wikipedia said. Under its Connected Citizens Program, Wikipedia says, over 450 governments and agencies share data with Waze.

Google Assistant added Waze in 2019. Waze is free and earns from ads.

Malaysiakini noted that Waze’s latest terms still name Waze Mobile Ltd, an Israeli company.

Data concerns: Waze and TuJu compared

In 2016, UC Santa Barbara researchers built fake “ghost riders” that could track users, Infosecurity reported. Waze called the risk overblown and made changes, PhoneArena reported.

Wikipedia lists a 2019 case, where a researcher found two flaws that Google fixed.

None of the reports we read describes a leak or breach of Waze user data.

TuJu’s Google Play listing gives some answers. The developer says it may collect your name, email, user ID, phone number and location.

It says it may share location data with other firms. It lists analytics, ads and personalisation as uses. Data is encrypted in transit, and users can ask for deletion.

Waze’s own Play listing, as supplied to us, is longer. The developer says it may collect contact details, photos, messages, search history, location, calendar events and voice recordings. Many are optional.

For sharing, Waze lists only device IDs, for analytics and ads. It does not list location as shared. TuJu’s listing does.

Each developer fills in its own listing. Google does not check it. Neither names who gets the shared data. More data types alone do not prove more risk.

TuJu vs Waze: What the local app offers

TuJu is a highway map app from the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM). Prosignal Consortium helped build it. It launched on 26 November 2025, paultan.org reported.

It shows toll costs for a trip, rest areas with their facilities, and highway CCTV views. Users can report incidents and call for help, Lowyat said. The official launch notice adds that TuJu links fully with the MyJalan app.

The same notice says TuJu offers live highway CCTV. At launch, Lowyat found the images slow to load. It described them as stills. eCentral said TuJu is free. You sign in with Google, Apple or email.

Paultan.org reported that TuJu uses Google’s map and place data. The official notice does not mention this. TuJu was not on CarPlay or Android Auto at launch, paultan.org added.

Anwar encouraged Malaysians to use TuJu, not Waze, Lowyat reported. TuJu centres on highways. Waze covers all roads. No one has tested if TuJu can replace it for daily trips.