Malaysia bars civil servants from Waze over security concerns

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysia has prohibited its civil servants from using Alphabet’s navigation app Waze, citing security concerns associated with its Israeli origins. Waze rejected allegations involving the collection of sensitive government information and misuse of users’ personal data.

Immediate ban ordered

A Tuesday letter from Malaysia’s Chief Secretary to the Government Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar informed government agency heads that the prohibition would cover all civil servants. Reuters reviewed the letter, which said the measure took effect immediately following a decision at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

In a Wednesday statement, Anwar’s office said he had ordered the restriction “to protect government information and users’ personal data from the threat of misuse by the Israeli regime,”.

Anwar had previously said his government was examining possible security risks associated with Waze, which he said fell under Israeli law. He proposed TuJu, a Malaysian Highway Authority-developed domestic mapping application, as an alternative.

Waze rejects allegations

Responding on Thursday, Waze said allegations that it gathered sensitive government information or permitted any entity to exploit users’ personal data were entirely false.

“Waze operates under strict privacy policies that protect user data and comply with global legal data protection standards,” a company spokesperson told Reuters by email.

Reuters sought comment from the Israeli embassy in Singapore but received no response.

Malaysia, whose population is predominantly Muslim, strongly supports the Palestinian cause and has no diplomatic ties with Israel.