‘Completely false’: Waze rejects Malaysia’s data security claims after civil servant ban

Waze dismissed Malaysia's claims about data security risks, stating its data protection adheres to global standards, following a ban on civil servants using the app due to Israeli links.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced the ban to protect against potential data misuse, suggesting Malaysia might consider a total ban if a suitable alternative is available.

Civil servants must comply with the ban during official duties, with potential disciplinary action for non-compliance, as Malaysia considers data falling under Israeli jurisdiction a security concern.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — Navigation app Waze rejected on Friday Malaysia’s allegations that it could exploit users’ personal data, after the country banned civil servants from using the app over its Israeli links.

Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the ban on Wednesday to “safeguard government information and users’ personal data against the threat of misuse by the Israeli regime”.

He said Friday that the South-east Asian nation could consider a total ban if an alternative for the popular app is found.

Muslim-majority Malaysia is a longstanding and vocal critic of Israel and maintains no diplomatic relations with it.

Waze, owned by Google, was founded in Israel and remains incorporated there.

“Claims that Waze collects sensitive government information or allows any entity to exploit personal user data are completely false,” a Waze spokesperson told AFP in a statement.

“Waze operates under strict privacy policies that protect user data and comply with global legal data protection standards,” the statement read.

Anwar told reporters that Malaysia needed to look into alternatives to Waze, adding that if “our capabilities are good enough in the future, we may consider banning it altogether”.

“Our decision is not controversial,” the Malaysian leader said, adding that Malaysia was “being monitored” because of its opposition to Israel.

“They will use all their influence to go against us,” Anwar said, calling the issue “a matter of national security”.

Malaysia’s Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo told parliament on Thursday that the ban applied only to civil servants carrying out official duties.

He cited data security and legal concerns for the move, as “user data falls under Israeli jurisdiction”.

The government did not provide further details on the reason for the ban or how it would be enforced or monitored.

Malaysia’s National Security Council warned on Thursday that civil servants who defy the immediate ban “could face disciplinary action”.

Anwar suggested on Wednesday that users of Waze — which uses driver data to provide real-time traffic information — switch to platforms such as TuJu, a locally developed Malaysian road navigation app.

Waze is widely used in Malaysia, including as a back-up navigation aid by drivers for its Grab online cab-hailing service.

Many Malaysians complained that the TuJu app was “ineffective and should not be made a compulsory replacement for Waze”, former finance minister and MP, Lim Guan Eng, said. — Bernama

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Waze驳斥了马来西亚关于数据安全风险的说法，并表示其数据保护符合全球标准。此前，由于与以色列有关联，马来西亚公务员被禁止使用该应用程序。

马来西亚总理安瓦尔·易卜拉欣宣布了这项禁令，以防止潜在的数据滥用，并暗示如果出现合适的替代方案，马来西亚可能会考虑全面禁止数据滥用。

马来西亚认为以色列管辖下的数据存在安全隐患，因此公务员在执行公务时必须遵守该禁令，违者将受到纪律处分。

吉隆坡，10 月 23 日——导航应用 Waze 周五驳斥了马来西亚关于其可能利用用户个人数据的指控。此前，马来西亚因 Waze 与以色列有关联而禁止公务员使用该应用。

马来西亚总理拿督斯里安华·易卜拉欣周三宣布了这项禁令，目的是“保护政府信息和用户个人数据免受以色列政权滥用的威胁”。

他周五表示，如果能找到这款热门应用的替代品，这个东南亚国家可能会考虑全面禁止该应用。

穆斯林占多数的马来西亚长期以来一直公开批评以色列，并且与以色列没有外交关系。

Waze隶属于谷歌，创立于以色列，目前仍在以色列注册成立。

Waze发言人在一份声明中告诉法新社：“有关Waze收集敏感政府信息或允许任何实体利用个人用户数据的说法完全是错误的。”

声明中写道：“Waze 遵循严格的隐私政策，保护用户数据并遵守全球法律数据保护标准。”

安华告诉记者，马来西亚需要寻找 Waze 的替代品，并补充说，如果“我们未来的能力足够强，我们可能会考虑完全禁止它”。

这位马来西亚领导人表示：“我们的决定并无争议”，并补充说，由于马来西亚反对以色列，因此“正受到密切关注”。

安华说：“他们会动用一切影响力来对抗我们”，并称这个问题“事关国家安全”。

马来西亚数字部长哥宾星周四在国会表示，该禁令仅适用于履行公务的公务员。

他以数据安全和法律方面的担忧为由采取了这一举措，因为“用户数据属于以色列管辖范围”。

政府没有提供关于禁令原因、如何执行或监督的更多细节。

马来西亚国家安全委员会周四警告称，公务员若无视立即实施的禁令，“可能会面临纪律处分”。

安华周三建议 Waze 用户（该应用利用驾驶员数据提供实时交通信息）转而使用 TuJu 等平台，TuJu 是一款马来西亚本地开发的道路导航应用。

Waze 在马来西亚被广泛使用，包括被司机用作 Grab 在线叫车服务的备用导航工具。

马来西亚前财政部长兼国会议员林冠英表示，许多马来西亚人抱怨TuJu应用程序“效果不佳，不应强制取代Waze”。——马新社

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