Malaysia bars civil servants from using Israeli navigation app Waze due to 'security concerns'

Malaysia has prohibited civil servants from utilizing Alphabet's navigation application Waze following Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's assertion that the app's Israeli origins pose security concerns. As a predominantly Muslim nation, Malaysia maintains no formal diplomatic relations with Israel and is deeply committed to the Palestinian cause.

Prime Minister Anwar announced on Tuesday that the government is investigating potential security risks associated with Waze, which operates under Israeli laws. In a Facebook post following a meeting of the national cybersecurity committee, Anwar emphasized the imperative to safeguard citizens' data and identities. While he did not disclose specifics of the risks, he advised the use of TuJu, a local mapping application developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority, as an alternative.

Malaysia's Chief Secretary to the Government, Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, confirmed the ban via a letter distributed to heads of government agencies on Tuesday. The letter stated that the prohibition would take effect immediately, as it followed a decision made during the cybersecurity committee meeting chaired by Anwar. Waze, originally founded in Israel, leverages satellite signals and inputs from drivers to provide real-time traffic updates. The app was later acquired by Alphabet-owned Google in 2013 for approximately $1 billion.