Malaysia bans civil servants from using Waze over Israel links

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia has banned civil servants from using Waze, the navigation app owned by Alphabet, after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim raised security concerns about its origins in Israel, according to Rappler. The ban took effect on Tuesday, October 20.

Anwar said on October 20 that the government was examining potential security risks from the app. He said Waze "was bound to Israeli laws." He did not give details of the risks. In a Facebook post after chairing a national cybersecurity committee meeting, he said: "We cannot compromise on the security of people's data and identities." He recommended TuJu, a domestic mapping app developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority, as an alternative.

Malaysia's Chief Secretary to the Government, Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar, said all civil servants would be barred from using Waze, according to a letter dated Tuesday and addressed to heads of government agencies. The letter, which Reuters reviewed, said the prohibition would take effect immediately and followed a decision at the meeting chaired by Anwar. An official with the Prime Minister's Department confirmed the letter was authentic.

It is not clear from the source what specific risks the government has identified. The source does not say whether the ban applies to private use or to government-issued devices only.

Background

Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country and a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause. It does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.

Waze was founded in Israel. It uses satellite signals and crowd-sourced data from drivers to provide real-time traffic information. Google, which is owned by Alphabet, acquired the app in 2013 for about $1 billion.