Malaysia Bans Civil Servants From Using Waze Over Israel-Linked Security Concerns, Promotes Local App TuJu
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia has banned civil servants from using Alphabet's navigation app Waze after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said its origins in Israel raised security concerns, Reuters reported. Anwar said on Tuesday that the government was looking into potential security risks arising from the use of Waze, which he said "was bound to Israeli laws."
"We cannot compromise on the security of people's data and identities," Anwar said in a Facebook post after chairing a national cybersecurity committee meeting. He recommended TuJu, a domestic mapping app developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) with Prosignal Consortium and launched in November 2025, offering route guidance, toll calculation, live traffic and rest-area information.
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 addressed to the heads of government agencies. An official with the Prime Minister's Department confirmed the letter's authenticity to Reuters.
Waze, which was founded in Israel and uses satellite signals and crowd-sourced driver data for real-time traffic information, was acquired by Alphabet-owned Google in 2013 for about $1 billion. Muslim-majority Malaysia is a staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause and does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 吉隆坡 SPRINT 高速公路立交。图片：© Slleong / CC0，Wikimedia Commons
