Malaysia bans Waze for government employees over security concerns

Malaysia has banned public sector employees from using the Waze navigation app over concerns about data security and its links to Israel, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has announced.

The ban aims “to protect government information and users’ personal data from the threat of misuse by the Israeli regime”, Anwar’s office said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that the government was reviewing potential security threats linked to the app.

The announcement followed a meeting of the National Cyber Security Committee, chaired by Anwar. In a Facebook post, he recommended using TuJu, a Malaysian mapping app developed by the country’s highway authority, as an alternative to Waze.

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In a directive issued on Wednesday, Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar informed heads of government institutions that the ban applied to all civil servants and took effect immediately, in line with the committee’s decision.

Malaysia has no diplomatic relations with Israel and supports the Palestinian cause.

Waze provides route planning and real-time traffic updates using satellite signals and data shared by drivers. Google, part of Alphabet, acquired the app in 2013 in a deal worth about $1 billion. Waze was originally developed in Israel.

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