PM Anwar’s Advice On Waze Use Should Be Taken Seriously

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s advice against civil servants using the Waze navigation app for official business should be taken seriously, particularly given the risk of location data exposure that could compromise users’ security, said a technology expert.

Saiffil Fariz Mohamad Yusuf, a chief technology officer and artificial intelligence coach, said users should exercise greater caution when using navigation apps, as travel data collected over an extended period could reveal a person’s movement patterns and daily routines.

Drawing on his experience in the technology industry since the 1990s, including server and website development, he said the information could be misused for intelligence-gathering or criminal activities if it fell into the wrong hands.

“When our Prime Minister himself has asked us not to use this app, it could mean that he knows something that we, as ordinary citizens, do not,” he said in a video-call interview for the ‘Waze Di Tangan, Bahaya Di Hadapan’ segment on Bernama TV’s Malaysia Petang Ini programme today.

Anwar had previously said the government was studying measures to restrict the use of Waze among government officers on national security and sovereignty grounds.

He said the move was not intended to ban Waze entirely, but to address the risk of government officers’ movements being monitored, particularly those handling national security matters.

Elaborating, Saiffil Fariz said the risks associated with navigation apps involved not only digital security but also physical safety if users’ locations became known to malicious parties.

He said prolonged use of the same app could generate travel records that revealed users’ daily routines, including journeys to work, picking up children from school and visits to their hometowns.

“If a threat or dangerous attack occurs, it may not only involve attacks that we can recognise, such as ballistic or missile attacks. More dangerous are domestic threats involving intelligence-gathering or criminals who could reach our homes, offices and other places.

“This is very dangerous. I believe everyone needs to pay attention to this security issue and not underestimate what can be done with data that we ourselves have exposed as app users,” he said.

He therefore supported the government’s efforts to restrict the use of apps that raised concerns over data security, while urging the public to be more aware of the risks of exposing personal information when using digital applications.

-- BERNAMA