Navigation App Goes Viral On Social Media, Malaysians Are Suspicious Of It

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A new navigation app by Chinese online marketplace Alibaba has been a topic of interest on Malaysian social media recently.

Amap (or Gaode Maps), claims to have over 800 million users with over 200 countries and territories mapped.

It also boasts 3D lane-level views as well as traffic light countdown, real-time traffic updates, detailed junction views, real-time transit information and route options, according to it’s listing on Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store.

Based on its ratings, Amap has garnered a respectable 4.8 stars through more than 3,000 ratings. The app is only available in English, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese languages.

Many Malaysians are already using it and are impressed with the app’s interface

On social media, Malaysians have been sharing their experience in using Amaps, saying it’s better than Waze thanks to more detailed information such as lanes, crosswalks and traffic lights being displayed in a 3D interface.

Competitor navigation apps like Waze, Apple Maps and Google Maps do not show individual lanes and other small (but important) details on their interface at the moment.

However, some users have shared complaints about performance issues that occur occassionally, as well as the app launching in Chinese which makes it difficult for them to navigate and set the default language to English.

View on Threads

Some are wary about the app being developed by a Chinese company

Software developed by Chinese companies have a notorious reputation for allegedly collecting personal data without user consent.

Due to this concern, some Malaysians have advised caution when downloading and using Amaps, which is developed by Beijing-based Autonavi Software Co. Ltd.

Aside from clandestine data-collection, the app is also said to have used the “nine-dash line”, a demarcation line used on Chinese maps to claim sovereignty over roughly 90% of the South China Sea.

Image: Threads | @shazzaqie

The nine-dash line is problematic because it’s China’s vague, expansive claim to most of the South China Sea, violating UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea), conflicting with claims of other nations (Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia), and lacking clear legal basis, leading to conflicts, resource disputes (oil, gas, fishing), and threats to freedom of navigation, with China enforcing it aggressively despite a 2016 international ruling invalidating it.

Based on claims on social media, some names of places in East Malaysia shows up in Chinese instead of their local names.

Malaysians have expressed their concern about the app, claiming that it is subtly challenging the sovereignty of the country via digital means, and warned other users from using the app.

“This is a dangerous app. It’s challenging the sovereignty of the nation,” one user said on Facebook.

“It gives the impression that this country does not have full sovereignty in a digital perspective. In the era of technology, conquest is no longer through military means, but via data, mapping and information control,” another user commented.

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Navigation App Goes Viral On Social Media, Malaysians Are Suspicious Of It
Entertainment Flash Report