The navigation application Waze on Friday rejected Malaysia’s accusations that it allows the exploitation of the personal data of its users, after a ban on its use issued to officials due to its links with Israel. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the ban on Wednesday, in order to “protect government information and users’ personal data from the risk of abuse by the Israeli regime.”
Malaysia has long and fiercely criticized Israel, a state with which this predominantly Muslim country maintains no diplomatic relations. Waze, owned by Google, was founded in Israel and remains registered there. “Claims that Waze collects sensitive government information or allows any entity to exploit users’ personal data are completely false,” a Waze spokesperson told AFP in a statement.
Waze operates under strict privacy policies, which protect user data and comply with international legal data protection standards,” the statement continued.
Malaysian Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo told Parliament on Thursday that the ban only applied to civil servants carrying out official activities. He cited data security concerns and legal issues to justify the decision, as user data falls under Israeli jurisdiction.
The government did not provide further details on the reasons for the ban, or how it would be enforced or monitored. Waze is widely used in Malaysia, including as a backup navigation solution by drivers of online taxi booking service Grab.
Many Malaysians have complained about the TuJu app, a government-recommended alternative, on the grounds that it was “ineffective and should not be imposed as a mandatory replacement for Waze”, said former finance minister and MP Lim Guan Eng.
