{
  "id": 16165161,
  "title": "M'sia govt urges citizens to delete Waze citing Israeli links, bans civil servants from using app",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/msia-govt-urges-citizens-to-delete-waze-citing-israeli-links-bans",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-23T08:41:21.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mothership",
    "slug": "mothership",
    "url": "https://mothership.sg/2026/10/malaysia-bans-waze-civil-servant/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Malaysian government has instructed civil servants to stop using the popular navigation app Waze, citing concerns over potential threats from the Israeli regime. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim declared this ban on Oct. 21 through a Facebook post, emphasizing the necessity to safeguard government information and user data from possible abuse.\n\nWaze, which is owned by Google, denied the accusations, stating that it adheres to stringent privacy policies and complies with international data protection regulations. The app operates using satellite signals and crowd-sourced data from drivers to provide real-time traffic updates. However, Anwar highlighted that the company remains under Israeli jurisdiction.\n\nIn response to the ban, the Malaysian government encouraged citizens to use local alternatives such as Tuju, a navigation app developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority. National Security Council director-general for National Security, Nushirwan Zainal Abidin, stressed the importance of striking a balance between security concerns and human rights, particularly freedom of choice. He also noted that Waze might still gather data, even when not in use, depending on its settings and device permissions.",
  "summary": "Waze rejected the allegations that it collected sensitive government information or allowed any entity to exploit personal user data.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Malaysia PM Anwar warns against Israeli navigation app Waze over data security concerns",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/malaysia-pm-anwar-warns-against-israeli-navigation-app-waze-over-data",
        "published": "2026-10-21T05:17:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Haaretz",
        "title": "Malaysia bans civil servants from using mapping app Waze, citing links to Israel",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/malaysia-bans-civil-servants-from-using-mapping-app-waze-citing-links",
        "published": "2026-10-21T08:25:48.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Maverick",
        "title": "Malaysia bans civil servants from using mapping app Waze, citing links to Israel",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/malaysia-bans-civil-servants-from-using-mapping-app-waze-citing-links-15873891",
        "published": "2026-10-21T10:44:52.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Times of Israel",
        "title": "Malaysia bans civil servants from using Israeli-made Waze navigation app",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/21/malaysia-bans-civil-servants-from-using-israeli-made-waze-navigation",
        "published": "2026-10-21T15:32:22.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}