BDS Malaysia backs civil service Waze ban, urges public boycott of navigation app

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — The BDS Malaysia organization has endorsed the Malaysian government's decision to prohibit civil servants from using the Waze navigation application and has called upon the public to boycott the software. In a recent statement, BDS Malaysia expressed its support for the directive, highlighting worries that the utilization of Waze may endanger Malaysia's national security and sovereignty.

The statement read, "We fully support this directive which is issued in the interest of preventing our national security and sovereignty from being compromised by Waze, an Israeli-based company, for the benefit of the Zionist apartheid and genocidal regime." BDS Malaysia, which is part of the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement advocating for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against Israel to support Palestinian rights, urged the government to maintain consistency in addressing national security matters.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim mandated civil servants to cease using Waze due to concerns that confidential government information and personal data could be exploited by Israel.