Malaysia PM Anwar warns against Israeli navigation app Waze over data security concerns

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has advised Malaysians against using Waze, a popular navigation app developed in Israel.

Waze is subject to Israeli government laws, Anwar said in a Facebook post after chairing a meeting of the National Cyber Security Committee (JKSN), where the potential risk of the app being used to monitor Malaysian citizens' data was discussed.

Given the concerns, as well as the data security risks, Anwar suggested that Malaysians switch to using Tuju, an app developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority, instead.

"We cannot compromise on data and identity security," he said.

Launched in 2009, Waze began as an open-source project called FreeMap Israel. In 2013, Google bought the app for US$1 billion.

Al Jazeera reported earlier this month that Iraq was planning to block the use of Waze by the end of December this year, with its communications minister citing data security concerns and the app's origin in Israel.

Like many Arab and Muslim-majority countries, Iraq and Malaysia do not formally recognise Israel.

In his Facebook post, Anwar said that JKSN met to review the development of cyber threats and strengthen Malaysia's "digital preparedness and sovereignty".

The meeting also covered the security of MyDigital ID - Malaysia's national digital identity verification platform - as well as new threats from autonomous artificial intelligence. 

Anwar said the Malaysian government is strengthening its integrated identity system, with MyKad serving as a physical credential and MyDigital ID for digital transactions, supported by stronger cybersecurity measures.

“This effort is crucial to ensure that the digitalisation of public services continues to benefit the people, without neglecting the security, trust, and sovereignty of the nation.”