Anwar Weighs Full Waze Ban on Data Security — SkimNews
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- Anwar Ibrahim said on Oct. 23 in Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, that Malaysia was not ruling out a complete Waze ban, following his recent restriction on civil servants using the navigation app.
- Waze is headquartered in Israel, and Anwar said Israeli law determines the outcome if a problem arises under its terms; he also said app use automatically hands over all information to Israel.
- Anwar Ibrahim said Waze could possibly be used for foreign intelligence operations and that he asked officials at a cybersecurity meeting two or three days earlier to investigate and review the agreement.
- TuJu was considered suitable by Malaysia's Highway Authority but remains not fully developed and was unable to cope with the sudden surge in users after Malaysians were urged to switch.
- Gobind Singh told Parliament that Malaysians should use other Malaysia-based alternatives; Anwar said less-sophisticated apps and even longer journeys were acceptable while TuJu develops.
- Israel was the distinguishing factor in Anwar's review: American and French companies linked to Israel were not both headquartered there and subject to Israeli law, unlike Waze.
Why it matters: Malaysian civil servants and Malaysian Waze users are the immediate stakeholders: civil servants already face a ban, while the public faces the prospect of one. Anwar said he initiated a Waze-agreement review two or three days earlier; with TuJu unfinished and unable to absorb the surge, switching means less-sophisticated apps and longer journeys.
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