Malaysia bars civil servants from using Waze, citing Israel’s control of app

Malaysia has banned civil servants from using the Waze navigation app amidst concerns over potential misuse of government data and personal information by Israel, according to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. The decision was made during a National Cybersecurity Committee meeting chaired by the Prime Minister on October 20. Anwar emphasized that sensitive government data and public information must be safeguarded from exploitation by foreign entities, specifically citing the Israeli regime's potential threats to national security and sovereignty.

Malaysians are encouraged to abandon Waze in favor of local alternatives like TuJu, which offer enhanced security and data protection measures. The ban follows a similar move by Iraq, which plans to completely prohibit Waze usage by 2027, and Iran's previous restrictions on the app. Waze, originally founded by Israeli entrepreneurs in 2008 and acquired by Google in 2013 for approximately US$1.15 billion, was particularly popular in Malaysia, boasting around six million monthly active users, with a significant concentration in Kuala Lumpur. These users had contributed to nearly one million traffic alerts per month.