Malaysia bans civil servants from using mapping app Waze, citing links to Israel
Malaysia has banned civil servants from using Alphabet's navigation app Waze after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said its origins in Israel raised security concerns.
Malaysia has barred civil servants from using the navigation app Waze, following Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's assertion that the app's Israeli origins pose security concerns. Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim nation, maintains no diplomatic ties with Israel. In a Facebook post, Anwar stated that the government is investigating potential security risks associated with Waze, which operates under Israeli laws.
The prime minister did not elaborate on the risks but advocated for the domestic alternative TuJu, developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority. Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar announced the ban via a letter to heads of government agencies, effective immediately. The directive stems from a meeting chaired by Anwar, where the prohibition was approved.
Waze, founded in Israel and later acquired by Google in 2013 for approximately $1 billion, utilizes satellite signals and information from drivers to provide real-time traffic updates.
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