Malaysia has banned its civil servants from using the Waze navigation app, citing concerns over its Israeli origins and the security of users’ personal information and movement data.
The directive, effective immediately, followed an Oct. 20 meeting of the National Cyber Security Committee chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar issued a circular instructing ministry secretaries-general and department heads to ensure compliance across government agencies.
Anwar said Waze operates under Israeli laws, raising concerns about the protection of Malaysians’ data and identities. He encouraged the public to switch to TuJu, a locally developed navigation app created by the Malaysian Highway Authority.
Waze was founded in Israel in 2006 and acquired by Google in 2013 for approximately $1 billion. Malaysia does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel and strongly supports the Palestinian cause.
The ban currently applies to government employees, not the general public.
