KUALA LUMPUR — More evidence is needed, as well as a thorough understanding of legal and regulatory issues surrounding navigation app Waze, before any decision is made to ban it for all Malaysians, a digital technology expert said.
Shahram Ghaderi, chief technology officer of Fresnel Group of Companies, said there is no direct evidence of the Israeli government accessing Waze users’ data, but the possibility that a foreign government could legally access such information is a legitimate concern for Malaysia.
“We should look more closely at the legal and regulatory relationship between Waze Mobile Ltd., Google and the Israeli jurisdiction. In particular, to understand more clearly what legal obligations apply to Waze and under what circumstances a foreign government could legally request access to user data,” Shahram told Scoop.
“I therefore do not think Malaysians should automatically stop using Waze simply because it was founded in Israel. The decision should be based on evidence, including its actual data-handling practices, security controls, applicable laws and demonstrable risks.”
Shahram was asked to respond to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s remarks that the government is not ruling out a total, nationwide ban on using Waze, after banning the app from use by civil servants on official duty last week.
Anwar said the ban for public servants while on duty was made on grounds of national security as Waze Mobile Ltd is incorporated in Israel, and this exposed the Malaysian public sector to risks involving data sovereignty and foreign intelligence.
However, Shahram said it could not be automatically assumed that Waze’s Israeli origins mean that the Israeli government has direct access to Malaysian users’ data.
“The more important question is which legal jurisdictions apply to the data, where it is processed, what information is retained, and under what circumstances governments can legally request access,” he said.
He noted the response by Google, which owns Waze, that government requests for user information are reviewed through legal processes rather than providing governments with direct access.
Despite this, however, Shahram added that Malaysia should look at the extent to which Israeli legislation could potentially apply to Waze and its user data.
Update laws to keep pace
Alongside studying the laws that govern data-sharing for Waze, Shahram called for regular reviews of Malaysia’s personal data protection laws to keep pace with technological developments and emerging privacy risks.
“There will always be new technologies, new methods of processing data and new ways of combining different types of information that may not have been specifically considered when a law was originally drafted,” he added.
There also needs to be laws that give tighter protection to data with national-security implications, separate from “normal user” data, he noted.
With Waze, location data could become particularly sensitive when large amounts of information are collected over a long period, thereby revealing patterns around military installations, government facilities or critical infrastructure, Shahram said.
“Malaysia should therefore have a specific framework for identifying and protecting this type of information, supported by a dedicated task force that can regularly assess emerging risks, data leaks and technological developments.
“National-security data should be treated differently and protected accordingly,” he noted.
Total ban or not?
While agreeing with Putrajaya’s decision to exercise caution for government’s employees and their movements, Shahram said a total ban applied to the public could cause anxiety.
The level of privacy risks for an ordinary individual user would be different than for government officials, he said. Most times, the value of ordinary users’ data is or advertising or marketing purposes.
“Users should look at their data realistically and assess what the actual value and risk of their information is.
“For most people, practical measures such as limiting unnecessary location permissions, reviewing Waze’s privacy settings, avoiding sharing unnecessary personal information and keeping the application updated should provide a reasonable level of protection.
“The objective should not be to create unnecessary fear, but to understand what information is being collected and make an informed decision about the level of privacy we are comfortable with,” Shahram said.
Putrajaya’s ban on Waze for civil servants on duty was issued in a circular dated October 20. The National Security Council also warned that civil servants who defied the directive could face disciplinary action.
In response, Waze said claims that it collects sensitive government information or allows personal data to be exploited were “completely false”. It said its privacy policies comply with international data protection standards. – October 25, 2026