Malaysia Bans State Employees From Using Waze Over Israeli Origin

Malaysia has prohibited its public servants from using the navigation app Waze due to security concerns stemming from its Israeli origin. The ban, which took effect immediately, was announced by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who cited the need to protect public data and identities. Ibrahim did not specify the exact security risks but recommended using Malaysia's local mapping app, TuJu, developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority.

The directive was communicated via a letter dated Tuesday from the Chief Secretary to the Government of Malaysia, Samsul Azri Abu Bakar, to heads of government agencies. A source from the Prime Minister's Department confirmed the letter's authenticity. Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim nation, maintains a strong stance in support of the Palestinian cause and does not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

This move follows a similar development in Iraq, where the Minister of Communications, Mustafa Sand, announced earlier in October that Waze would be banned in the country by early 2027, also citing its Israeli creation. Sand noted that while Waze is widely used, alternatives like Google Maps and local Iraqi navigation systems are available.

Waze, founded and developed in Israel, was acquired by Google in 2013. The app relies heavily on crowdsourced data from its over 200 million monthly users worldwide to provide real-time traffic updates, accident reports, and road closures.