TujuProsignal Consortium Sdn Bhd, the company behind the locally developed navigation app, TuJu, issued a public apology to its users regarding the technical disruptions it faced. The company posted the apology across all its social media channels and promised that stable navigation services will resume within two weeks.
It acknowledged that the issues lay in its app, and that its priority would be to restore smooth and stable navigation, while other features on the app would remain operational. Prosignal also thanked users for feedback on the app, adding that it helped them identify technical issues and to get them fixed, fast.
How It Began
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had asked the nation to use TuJu as their default highway navigation app, instead of Waze, due to the latter being developed and based in Israel. To that end, our government also banned civil servants from using Waze, with the ban going into immediate effect.
Adding fuel to Waze’s fire, the government is also demanding that the navigation app to explain how it collects and handles the personal data of Malaysians, with the threat of a nationwide ban on the app if it fails to do so.
Waze, formerly known as FreeMap Israel, first came onto the scene in 2006. In 2013, it was acquired by Google Mobile for US1.3 billion (~RM5.31 billion).
How It Is Now
In response to the Prime Minister’s encouragement, TuJu saw a surge in downloads. Prosignal clearly didn’t expect the influx of users and, needless to say, it got caught with its pants around its ankles when the app began experiencing technical difficulties.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo also said that the government would work with TuJu, as well as another local navigation platform, Pintaz, to solidify their services.
At the time of writing, the TuJu app has been downloaded more than 700,000 times.
