{
  "id": 15877125,
  "title": "Waze ban to prevent Israel misusing govt, personal data, says Anwar",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/waze-ban-to-prevent-israel-misusing-govt-personal-data-says-anwar",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-21T10:47:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2026/10/21/waze-ban-to-prevent-israel-misusing-govt-personal-data-says-anwar"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "The prime minister says sensitive government information and users’ personal data must be protected from potential exploitation by the Tel Aviv regime.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Malaysia bars civil servants from using Waze, citing Israel’s control of app",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/malaysia-bars-civil-servants-from-using-waze-citing-israels-control",
        "published": "2026-10-21T07:53:33.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "MPs want govt to explain Waze ban on civil servants",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/mps-want-govt-to-explain-waze-ban-on-civil-servants",
        "published": "2026-10-21T08:24:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "PMO confirms civil servants barred from using Waze over Israel data security risks",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/pmo-confirms-civil-servants-barred-from-using-waze-over-israel-data",
        "published": "2026-10-21T09:25:45.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Anwar orders civil servants to stop using Waze over security concerns",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/anwar-orders-civil-servants-to-stop-using-waze-over-security-concerns",
        "published": "2026-10-21T09:28:28.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Vibes",
        "title": "Waze banned to protect government information and users' personal data from Israeli threats – PM",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/waze-banned-to-protect-government-information-and-users-personal-data",
        "published": "2026-10-21T09:32:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}