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 said on Thursday that claims it collected sensitive government ‌information or allowed any entity to exploit personal user data were completely false. "Waze operates under strict privacy policies that protect user data and comply with global legal data protection standards," a company spokesperson said in an ⁠emailed ​statement to Reuters.

The Israeli embassy ⁠in Singapore did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Anwar had said the government was looking into ⁠potential security risks arising from the use of Waze, which he said was subject 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.