Malaysia bans civil servants from using mapping app Waze, citing links to Israel

Malaysia ​has banned civil servants from ‌using Alphabet's ​navigation app Waze, citing security concerns linked to its origins in Israel.

Muslim-majority Malaysia is a staunch supporter ‌of the Palestinian cause and does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim ordered the ban "to protect government information and users' personal data from the threat ‌of misuse by the Israeli regime," his office said in a statement on ‌Wednesday.

Waze's parent company Google and the Israeli embassy in Singapore did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. A day earlier, Anwar said in a Facebook post that the government ⁠was looking ​into potential security ⁠risks arising from the use of Waze, which he said "was bound to Israeli laws."

He recommended ⁠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 said ⁠all civil servants would now be barred from using Waze, according to a letter dated ⁠Tuesday ​and addressed to the heads of government agencies.

The letter, reviewed by Reuters, said the directive, to be implemented immediately, followed a decision taken at the meeting ⁠chaired by Anwar. 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.