ASEAN Beat | Security | Southeast Asia
Anwar Ibrahim said that Waze, which was developed in Tel Aviv before being acquired by Google in 2013, could be “exploited by the Israeli regime.”
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has prohibited civil servants from using Waze, a popular navigation app developed in Israel, warning that its use could compromise “national security and sovereignty.”
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Anwar said that the ban was intended to “protect government information and users’ personal data from the threat of misuse by the Israeli regime.”
Anwar said his administration was looking into potential security risks arising from the use of Waze, which, despite now being a subsidiary of Google, remains subject to Israeli law. For the same reason, he urged Malaysians to stop using the app, and suggested that they switch to local alternatives including Tuju, an app developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority.
“The MADANI Government’s stance is firm and we will close any space that can be exploited by the Israeli regime to threaten the security of the country and the people,” Anwar stated.
Waze originated in 2006 as an open-source project called FreeMap Israel, created by Israeli software engineer Ehud Shabtai. It grew quickly and was subsequently acquired by Google for around $1 billion in 2013.
The prohibition on the app’s use was issued a day after Anwar chaired a meeting of the National Cyber Security Committee (JKSN), at which the potential risk of Waze being used to monitor Malaysian citizens’ data was discussed, Anwar said in a separate Facebook post on Tuesday.
The JKSN meeting also reviewed the development of cyber threats and efforts to strengthen Malaysia’s “digital preparedness and sovereignty.” It also discussed the security of MyDigital ID, Malaysia’s national digital identity verification platform, and efforts to implement the country’s Cyber Security Act 2024.
“This effort is crucial to ensure that the digitalization of public services continues to benefit the people, without neglecting the security, trust, and sovereignty of the nation,” he said.
Waze yesterday rejected Anwar’s allegations that it collects sensitive government information or allows users’ personal data to be exploited by third parties. In a statement to Reuters, a Waze spokesperson said that the company “operates under strict privacy policies that protect user data and comply with global legal data protection standards.”
The directive reflects the Malaysian government’s long-standing hostility toward Israel, with which it does not have diplomatic relations, and its support for the Palestinian national cause. Anwar has been particularly outspoken on this issue, condemning Israel’s assaults on Gaza in the wake of the militant group Hamas’ attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Speaking at a large pro-Palestine rally in Kuala Lumpur several weeks after the Hamas incursion, Anwar described the Israel’s military response as “the height of barbarism in this world,” and called on Israel to end its occupation of Palestinian territories. Unlike other critical leaders, Anwar has also continued to engage publicly with Hamas, which Israel, the U.S., and many Western nations view as a terrorist organization.
Anwar also claimed that the U.S. government had brought diplomatic pressure to bear on his government to shift its position on Hamas, but that it would maintain “its independent position.”