Did you know? Why the government wants you to ditch Waze, and can TuJu replace it?

This week, a navigation app suddenly became a national issue. On 21 October 2026, the government announced that all civil servants are banned from using Waze, effective immediately. Malaysians were urged to switch to a local app, TuJu.

The twist? A day later, TuJu had to switch off its own navigation feature. So what's actually going on?

Why was Waze banned?

The decision was made at the National Cyber Security Committee (JKSN) Meeting No. 3/2026 on 20 October, chaired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The next day, the Prime Minister's Office confirmed the ban.

The main reasons the government gave:

• Waze Mobile Ltd, the company that controls Waze user data, is incorporated and operates under Israeli law.
• The government is concerned that official government data and Malaysians' personal information, including locations and travel records, could be exploited.

The Chief Secretary to the Government issued a circular to enforce the ban across all ministries, federal departments, state governments, statutory bodies and local authorities.

Is the public banned too?

No. Based on official reports so far, the ban only applies to civil servants. For the public, the Prime Minister urged Malaysians to delete Waze and switch to local platforms such as TuJu, citing stronger data governance.

In other words, it's an appeal, not a legal ban for ordinary users.

What did Waze say?

On 23 October, Waze called claims that it could exploit users' personal data "completely false". It said it operates under strict privacy policies and that its data protection meets global legal standards.

For context, Waze is owned by Google, but the company was founded in Israel and is still incorporated there.

What is TuJu?

TuJu is a local mobility platform developed jointly by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) and Prosignal Consortium Sdn Bhd. It was officially launched by Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi on 26 November 2025.

Its promised features:

• Turn-by-turn navigation and estimated arrival times
• Real-time highway toll rates
• Live highway traffic camera (CCTV) feeds
• Rest and service (R&R) area locations
• Highway emergency assistance

So why was TuJu's navigation switched off?

After the government's appeal, lots of people tried to download and use TuJu at the same time. On 22 October, LLM said the app was undergoing "emergency system maintenance" after a severe surge in traffic overwhelmed its servers.

Before that, users and testers reported plenty of problems:

• Inaccurate directions, such as repeated "keep straight" prompts and missed highway exits
• No lane guidance and no real-time traffic data
• No Android Auto or Apple CarPlay support

LLM apologised and admitted the system's capacity wasn't ready for that many users.

Did you know? Even with navigation switched off, TuJu's other features, like highway CCTV, toll rates and R&R locations, still work. Prosignal is targeting full restoration of navigation by 6 November 2026 at the latest.

Can TuJu replace Waze?

For now, the honest answer is: not yet. Its core feature, navigation, still isn't working. TuJu's developer says it's fixing the app and focusing on data security for Malaysians.

If you're a civil servant, follow the circular and use approved alternatives. If you're a member of the public, the choice is still yours while we wait for a fixed-up TuJu in early November.

Have you tried TuJu yet? How was it?