Credit: Brett Jordan on Unsplash Malaysia could extend its ban on the Waze maps app from civil servants to the whole country, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Friday. A full ban would come only after officials look at other apps, he said. Anwar spoke to reporters in Kuala Lumpur, according to Bernama, the national news agency. Officials will check if local firms can build a similar app, he said.
He apologised for the trouble caused, but said national security came first. The government barred civil servants from using Waze on 21 October, The Edge reported. It said Israel could misuse state data and the personal data of Malaysians. The app is run by Waze Mobile Ltd, an Israeli firm that works under Israeli law.
However, Waze has been owned by Google since a 2013 acquisition. Google Maps and other apps remain available to the public, Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo told parliament on Thursday, The Edge also reported. Gobind said the ban covers only official duties. Meanwhile, the National Security Council urged the public to consider uninstalling Waze, Malay Mail reported.
Civil servants who break the ban could be punished. Waze rejected the government’s concerns. In an email to TNGlobal, it said claims that it collects sensitive government information were false. “Waze operates under strict privacy policies that protect user data and comply with global legal data protection standards,” the company told TNGlobal. The government wants people to use TuJu instead.
The Malaysian Highway Authority built the app with Prosignal Consortium and launched it in November 2025. Anwar admitted the app is not yet complete. The highway agency says the app is still being fixed. An iPhone version is due by the end of 2026, according to Malay Mail.
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