Malaysia Bans Public Servants From Using Google Navigation App Waze Over Israel Data Misuse Concerns

Malaysia has banned public officials from using the Google navigation app Waze, developed by an Israeli company, citing concerns over potential data misuse by the Israeli government.

According to Reuters and Bloomberg, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the decision on the 21st to bar all government employees from using Waze.

The Prime Minister's Office stated in a release that the measure is aimed at protecting government data and user privacy from the threat of misuse by the Israeli regime.

It also emphasized that they will block all avenues that the Israeli regime could exploit to threaten national and public security.

However, specific implementation guidelines regarding the decision were not mentioned.

Previously on the 20th, Prime Minister Anwar mentioned on Facebook that the government was investigating potential security risks arising from the use of Waze, which is subject to Israeli law.

He also recommended using "Tuju," a navigation app independently developed in Malaysia, as an alternative.

Waze, which provides real-time traffic information using satellite signals and driver data, is widely used in Malaysia.

The app was developed by the Israeli firm Waze Mobile and acquired by Google in 2013, but the company's operations remain based in Israel.

As a Muslim-majority country that strongly supports Palestine, Malaysia does not recognize Israel and has long maintained a policy of permitting entry to Israeli nationals only with prior special government approval.

In July, the U.S. Department of State summoned Malaysian Ambassador to the U.S. Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob over the Israeli entry restriction policy, creating diplomatic friction between the two nations.

At the time, Prime Minister Anwar emphasized that their objection is to Israeli nationals coming to the country rather than Jewish people, stressing that the policy is not anti-Semitic but a stance against Israel's oppression and occupation of Palestine.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.