Malaysia Bans Government Employees From Using Waze App

The Malaysian government has ordered all state employees to immediately cease using the navigation app Waze. This decision stems from government concerns over potential data leaks and user privacy violations, which they attribute to the app's Israeli origins, despite its current ownership by Google. The directive was issued following a meeting of the National Cyber Committee.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim explained on Facebook that the government is assessing risks associated with using an application subject to Israeli laws, emphasizing that "we cannot compromise on data security and the identity of citizens." Following his statement, the Chief Secretary to the Government, Shamsul Azree Abu Bakar, distributed an official directive to all heads of government agencies, prohibiting immediate use of the app.

As an alternative, the government recommended its employees switch to TuJu, a local mapping and navigation system developed by Malaysia's highway authority. Waze was originally developed in Israel and acquired by Google in 2013. Malaysia, a Muslim-majority country that does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, has implemented this ban as part of its strong support for the Palestinian cause.