Malaysia bans civil servants from using Israeli-founded mapping app Waze

Malaysia bans civil servants from using Alphabet’s navigation app Waze after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim says its origins in Israel raised security concerns.

Anwar says the government was looking into potential security risks arising from the use of Waze, which he claimed “was bound to Israeli laws.”

“We cannot compromise on the security of people’s data and identities,” he says in a Facebook post after chairing a national cybersecurity committee meeting.

Anwar did not provide any details of the risks but recommends the use of 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 says all civil servants would now be barred from using Waze, according to a letter addressed to the heads of government agencies.

The letter says the directive followed a decision taken at the meeting chaired by Anwar, with the prohibition to take effect immediately.

An official with the Prime Minister’s Department confirmed the letter’s authenticity.

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

Anwar has in the past been accused of making antisemitic remarks, including alleging while opposition leader that Mossad spies were controlling the Malaysian government and that Jews controlled a public relations firm hired by then-prime minister Najib Razak.