By Rosli Mansor Ahmad Razali
PUTRAJAYA: The use of the Waze navigation application among public servants nationwide has been banned with immediate effect over cybersecurity concerns and the need to safeguard the country’s information sovereignty.
The decision was made at the National Cyber Security Committee (JKSN) Meeting No. 3 of 2026, chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Monday.
According to an official circular issued by Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, dated Oct 20, 2026, the directive was necessary as the application, which is based in Israel, could expose sensitive information and national strategies to foreign parties.
The circular stated that the use of the navigation application posed various potential information security threats that could jeopardise public administration entities.
“The use of Waze risks exposing the locations, movements and sensitive strategic information of government officers and agencies.
“User information could also be stored and accessed by unauthorised external parties overseas, besides potentially being manipulated for foreign intelligence and security purposes,” it said.
Following the decision, all ministry secretaries-general, heads of federal departments, state secretaries, local authorities (PBTs) and heads of management of federal statutory bodies have been instructed to notify all officers under their supervision and ensure immediate implementation of the directive.
To ensure full compliance, public servants have been ordered to stop using Waze on both official and personal devices.
As an alternative, public servants have been advised to use other navigation applications that are more secure and have been approved.
Any enquiries or requests for further clarification on the implementation of the directive may be directed to the National Cyber Security Agency (NACSA) under the National Security Council (MKN), Prime Minister’s Department, which serves as the coordinating agency.
