KUALA LUMPUR - Navigation applications such as Waze could expose users’ location data and daily routines, potentially creating privacy and national security risks if the information is accessed or misused by unauthorised parties.
Prof Dr Zuriati Ahmad Zukarnain, of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, said information shared through navigation apps, including starting points, destinations and travel patterns, could be recorded by the systems.
She said the issue warranted serious attention, particularly among civil servants and individuals working in strategic sectors and critical national infrastructure.
"When we use navigation apps, we share location information, including starting points such as our offices and the destinations we want to reach.
"This information could potentially reveal our movements and daily routines to certain parties if the data is accessed or misused,” she said when appearing on Bernama TV’s Apa Khabar Malaysia programme, which discussed safe navigation and cyber threats, at Wisma Bernama today.
Zuriati said users should consider several security factors when using navigation apps, including where their data is stored, who manages it, which laws govern its use, and whether the application’s servers are located in Malaysia or overseas.
She said users should also examine privacy policies and settings to understand the extent to which app providers are permitted to collect, store and use their information, as well as whether the data could be shared with third parties.
"For example, apps such as Waze can be linked to social media platforms, meaning certain information may be shared or become visible to others, depending on the settings and features used.
"Even though some parties claim that user data is protected and no breaches have occurred, we still need to assess the potential risks, especially the possibility of privacy violations and how much the risk of data exposure can be controlled,” she said.
Zuriati added that security threats today extend beyond physical attacks to include data exposure and misuse, which could have implications for national security and sovereignty.
To reduce these risks, she advised users to review their smartphone privacy settings and app permissions, particularly those related to location access.
"If an app only needs your location while it is in use, select the ‘Allow While Using the App’ option instead of granting access at all times through the ‘Allow All the Time’ setting, where available,” she said.
She also cautioned users against sharing their locations publicly, especially when such information could reveal their movements, daily routines or whereabouts at specific times.
Addressing concerns that uninstalling an application may not automatically delete previously collected data, Zuriati stressed the importance of understanding its privacy policy and terms of use, particularly regarding data storage, usage and sharing.
She urged users to exercise greater caution before downloading applications and avoid granting permissions without understanding the potential implications for their privacy and personal data security.
For e-hailing drivers who depend on navigation tools for their daily work, she suggested considering alternative applications such as Google Maps and other recommended services, including the locally developed TuJu navigation app. - BERNAMA